PHANTOM FORCE, Goin' Ghost Retold

by DarkShadowGames451

DP AU! Mass X-over! It's been a year since the accident, and Daniel Fenton has found a balance between his teenage life and secret life as a superpowered ghost hunter with the help of his older sister. But he will face new challenges and greater threats with new friends and allies while discovering his destiny as a liminal halfa. But will it all be enough to save the world?

7. Vol 3, Issue 1

Skulk and Lurk Books, Amity Park, IL

Nearly a week has passed since the "Pyramid Incident". A white limousine pulled up to the niche bookstore roughly around ten o'clock in the morning on a Saturday. The rear door opened up, and Vlad Masters got out of the vehicle with a grouchy expression etched on his face.

Once again, he had yet to buy Axion Labs from Preston Northwest. Of course, this failed not only because of Preston's lack of interest in selling his new venture to Vlad but also because of the recent investigation regarding the sudden break-in of the building. This caused Vlad to leave Preston's office, harboring an annoyed and peeved attitude.

"Curse you, Northwest!" Vlad muttered. "If only you hadn't developed that blasted Specter Deflector, I could have easily taken that company."

When he approached the building close enough, he opened up the front door of the shop, then muttered, "Of course, the coward would wear a Specter Deflector the minute one's made for him."

A male goth cashier lazily made eye contact with the rich man from Wisconsin.

"Can I help you?" The kid dryly questioned.

"Ah yes, dear boy. Is it possible for you to…how do you kids put it…hook me up with a spot at the reading lounge?"

"It's in the back. But you have to pick a book and stay quiet. Noise ruins the peaceful atmosphere of the dead silence."

"Right…" Vlad accepted.

The rich schemer found a random book, which happened to be Bram Stoker's Dracula, then walked over to the lounge under the pretense of silent sustained reading. Entering the room, Vlad walked in and found a young lady in her late teens reading a book written by Edgar Allan Poe, sitting at a table with an empty chair.

The girl wore her long silver hair in a low ponytail, and had light purple and pinkish eyes, along with purple lipstick. For her attire, she wore a magenta coat with purple at the ends over a purple dress with a pink ribbon around her waist and a cerise pink gem with a golden border, long dark purple flat boots, two earrings on each ear, and her magical bag around her waist.

"Hello, there. Do you happen to be a representative of the Bezel Or-"

"-Sit." The young lady commanded in an indoors voice.

Vlad was surprised at her straightforwardness, but quickly complied and put the book he was "reading".

"Firstly, you are not allowed to know my name, but you shall address me by my title. In English, it is read as Charmcaster." The young lady stated indifferently as she placed the book that she was reading at the edge of the table on her right side.

"Interesting," Vlad stated. "Well, Ms. Charmcaster, it's a pleasure to meet you. Though, I wasn't expecting such a young lady to represent the Exorcist Organization."

"I am affiliated with the Order through blood ties with its leaders." Charmcaster revealed. "Despite that, I operate on my own. But given the circumstances of my own investigation, your report runs parallel with the mystical disturbance the informant relayed to me. So, I've taken over the case as a result."

"Oh goodie! If you want, I can provide the police reports-" Vlad offered, only for Charmcaster to hold out her hand, making the man pause.

"-Don't bother, Masters. With your connections in this backwater town, you have a better insight on the situation than any snippet of information the feds could ever provide me." Charmcaster stated as she leaned forward. "Tell me, what was the source of the disturbance I felt?"

"The locals call this disturbance 'The Phantom of Amity Park', but now after the Pyramid of Madness, he seems to now go by 'Danny Phantom'." Vlad explained. "The media and the victims involved are convinced that pathetic vulture Freakshow is the culprit behind the museum's transfiguration. But make no mistake, Phantom is the real villain here."

"How so? If the broadcast is to be believed, Phantom is the one who put an end to Showenhower's scheme." Charmcaster questioned.

"Oh believe me, that foul ghost child would want you to believe that is true, but the reality is he was working for Freakshow the whole time." Vlad replied, causing Charmcaster to look at him with a puzzled look.

"Explain." Charmcaster said simply.

"A year ago, Frederich Showenhower, Freakshow, had brought his Circus Gothica attraction to Amity Park under the facade of being a traveling carnival, when in truth he was a common thief who used magic to enslave ghosts." Vlad explained, shocking Charmcaster.

'...Showenhower? Isn't that the family of traitors that my ancestors cast out from the Ledgerdomain centuries ago?' The girl thought, recognizing the name.

"A sorcerer using his mystical talents to bend spirits to his will? Disgusting."

"Two of these ghosts however were not controlled by Freakshow and were his accomplices, one was the ghost of his fallen love and the other was none other than Danny Phantom." Vlad explained. "Phantom was helping him steal from Amity Park and would even keep the enslaved ghosts in line should they try to rebel against their new master."

"What kind of life would that child have had to willingly assist Showenhower in enslaving his own kind?" Charmcaster asked.

"Who honestly knows? Amity Park is no stranger to violent and tragic deaths throughout its history." Vlad replied as he kept speaking. "Freakshow had recently broken out of prison, authorities are still unable to figure out how, but we both know the real reason."

"The Showenhower line's magic affinity may have dwindled, but their knowledge and resourcefulness have not changed." Charmcaster said, flicking through the pages of her book. "So you're suggesting that Phantom and Showenhower staged the incident?"

"Well, not exactly as they planned it, as to Freakshow's surprise, Phantom had turned on his master and seized the Scarab Scepter's power for himself. That ghost child used its magic to make his captives believe that he was their savior, and upon defeating Freakshow in front of a live audience broadcasted throughout the city, many were also fooled into believing that Danny Phantom is a hero." Vlad explained with a scowl on his face.

"Your anger is quite transparent, Masters, what has the ghost child done to you to earn your ire?" Charmcaster asked.

"Well…that is because this spectral menace has possessed my best friend's son." Vlad said, becoming more visibly solemn, much to Charmcaster's surprise. "The boy is being used as a hostage, taking control of young Daniel's body to hide from the authorities and the local ghost catchers."

Charmcaster started to subtly form a scowl on her face while her eyes flashed magenta for a brief moment until she finally looked back at Vlad.

"Tell me everything that you know about this ghost child, Masters." Charmcaster said, to which Vlad looked at her with a satisfied smile. "If what you say is true, then I must capture and exorcize Danny Phantom at once."

---

Fenton Works, Amity Park

Jack Fenton was living the dream. The man finished college, married the woman he loved, had two amazing kids with great heads on their shoulders, and was living his lifelong dream of pursuing the supernatural as a leader of his field.

There was nothing more he could ask for.

And sure, he couldn't hunt down the most infamous spirit that lurked in the town, he was still allowed to hunt the rest of them. He had no complaints.

Currently, he is developing the latest of their technology, under the codename Project Ferrum Gigante. While his wife was upstairs taking a coffee break in the kitchen, Jack continued the engineering side of the machine out of enthusiasm.

He did so for another thirty minutes until he ended up soaking his black gloves in lubricant and ectoplasm that was eating at his gloves. This prompted Jack to stop what he's doing and inspect his gloves.

"...Ah, crud. Not again," Jack sighed before safely taking off his gloves and tossing them into a special trash can where all toxic items were discarded. "Oh well, I got tons more!"

The giant jolly Fenton patriarch jogs to the closet and opened it, inspecting its contents. While moving to his spare jumpsuits, Jack found a new pair of gloves that were his size and put them on.

"Ah! That's better!" Jack said in excitement. "If only I can make the Fenton Ghost Gloves more comfortable-hey!"

Jack took out a notebook and wrote the idea down, muttering, "Can't let that idea go to waste…!"

Before Jack could close the closet and resume his work, the man noticed that something wasn't quite right with the space. Sure, he and Maddie had numerous copies of their jumpsuits for work purposes. And moving forward on the rack, they had a spot for his kids' suits in case one of them suddenly had a change of heart and joined in on the business.

Yes, a hopeful father could dream.

Heck, he tailor-made his Jazzirencess' a teal and black Fenton Works jumpsuit with orange goggles on her mask while did the same for Danno's white and black Fenton Works jumpsuit without a mask, oddly enough.

Jack panicked. He looked up and down in the basement, but not an article of his boy's precious jumpsuit had been lying around. It was as if the suit had vanished.

Jack ran toward the door and opened it to shout toward upstairs.

"Maddie?" Jack shouted.

Maddie shouted from upstairs, "Yes, Jack?"

"Where's Danny's jumpsuit?" Jack questioned.

"Isn't it downstairs in the closet?"

"It's not there! Or anywhere in the lab!" Jack said, still confused and worried. "Have you seen it?"

"No! I haven't seen it since the kids told us what they wanted to be when they grew up!" Maddie answered loudly. "Maybe one of them must have done something with it recently?"

"...Somehow, I doubt that." Jack muttered to himself, knowing how Jazz and Danny felt about their own diverging future career paths. "...This must be the work of a ghastly ghost."

Before Jack could ponder further, his cell phone began to ring from one of the chest pockets of his jumpsuit. The cell phone chimed the tune of Ray Perkins Jr's Ghostbusters theme song which the older man was fond of. He picked up his flip phone and answered it.

"Fenton Works, this is Jack!" The perky large man answered.

"Good morning Jack, this is Max Tennyson. We ran into each other a week ago?" Maxwell Tennyson spoke in a warm and inviting tone.

"AH! Mr. Tennyson!" Jack said in a lively tone. "Terrific to hear from you, Sir!"

"Likewise. I apologize for the radio silence. I went back to Bellwood to check on my son and grandkids. They were apparently involved in a hostage situation, but they made it out in one piece."

"Oh, thank goodness for that!" Jack sighed in relief.

"Agreed. Say, is that dinner offer still available? I'll be heading back to Amity Park within a day or so." Max politely questioned.

"Of course! We'd be happy to have you over!" Jack proclaimed. "I don't like to brag, but the wife makes a pot roast that can knock your socks off!"

"A pot roast? I haven't had that since my last dinner with Ma in the eighties." Max stated on the other line.

"Splendid! What's a good day and time that works for you?" Jack questioned as he stared at his incomplete invention.

"How about Wednesday at 7:30PM?" Max suggested.

"That'll be just fine! I'll see you then, Mr. Tennyson!" Jack stated.

Max replied, "See you soon, Jack."

When Jack hung up the phone call and ran up the stairs and shouted, "Mads, baby! Forget about the jumpsuit for now and let's rev up the Fenton Assault Vehicle! A nationwide hero's coming over on Wednesday and we're gonna get the best pot roast he's ever going to eat in his life or our names aren't Fenton!"

---

Gray Residence, Elmerton, IL

It was Saturday afternoon, and Danny Fenton left his house early, informing his parents of his obligation to help Valerie and her father out with cleaning out their garage in the financially challenged city of Elmerton.

He did this for a number of reasons; for one, he still felt responsible for the living and financial situation in spite of the lawsuit ending in the Grays' favor and Damon getting his job back, two, it gave him an excuse to patrol the streets during the day, and three, well, he simply wanted to help.

But as Danny made it to the building where they lived, he had learned the true reason behind the task. As it turned out, due to Damon's increased pay grade, the Gray family was on the verge of moving back to Amity Park. This elated Danny, feeling that his and Jazz's efforts of correcting the mishandling of Cujo were finally paying off.

He couldn't wait to tell her when he got home.

The raven-haired boy, his ghost-hunting partner, and her father began clearing out their garage while having a supply of garbage bags with them. As they identified what was being considered trash, Damon decided to inform the kids about the break-in at work. This worried Valerie and Danny, as they initially believed it was something ghost-related, but the older man quickly dismissed their speculations with the reveal that the break-in was not only unrelated to any spectral activities, but it done by humans with technology beyond anything Axion Labs had in development currently. Though, he did mention that a special agency aligned with the government had been investigating the matter, leaving him and his supervised employees off the hook.

This brought relief to Valerie and Danny, yet also sparked their curiosity as they wondered who would steal from Axion Labs and what would they want from them. It took about an hour and thirty minutes to clean out the space within the garage. Once they were done, Valerie, Danny, and Damon sat down on the porch with bottled water in their hands.

"Your hard work and helping hand was appreciated, Daniel James." Damon thanked.

Danny gave the older man a lazy smile, stating, "It's no trouble, Mr. Gray. If anything, the work was a little help to get my mind off of things."

After Valerie to a sip from her bottle and asked, "What things? Anything ghost-related? …Plasmius?"

"No, it's nothing major like that. Actually, the battle with Freakshow kind of made me feel better about that." Danny explained. "It's just school stuff."

"School? Are you struggling with your studies, Daniel James?" Damon asked, worried about the boy's education. "Perhaps you need to take a break from ghost hunting."

"Oh, no! It's not like that, either. Aside from the solid C in P.E., I have nothing but A's and B's." Danny clarified.

"If that's the case, then what seems to be the problem?" Damon asked before taking a sip from his opened bottled water.

Danny sat there in awkward silence with an uncomfortable expression. Studying Danny's body language, only one thing, or rather, one person, came into Valerie Gray's mind.

"...This is about Manson, isn't it?" Valerie questioned, causing Danny to groan, confirming her suspicion.

"Manson? As in Jerry and Pam Manson?" Damon inquired, catching the teenagers off guard.

"You know Sam's parents?" Danny asked out of curiosity.

"Oh yeah. I went to the same university with them around twenty years ago. I had just moved to Amity Park after finishing my undergrad at Lowerton Community College." Damon explained.

"You never told me you came from Colorado," Valerie commented.

"I would have if you asked, Valley Jo." Damon sassed, causing Valerie to pout while Danny snickered at her nickname.

As Damon's daughter sent a glare to Danny that told him to "Shut up, before I start hunting you again", the man watched Valerie question Danny, "Why are you even worried about Manson? She ditched you and is tearing your old group apart."

"It's not like that, Val. Sam is…well, being Sam." Danny denied.

"That's a fancy way of saying a stuck-up bitc-"

"Language, Valerie!" Damon warned.

"It's true, Dad! She's been acting like to him all throughout last year." Valerie said defensively, but Damon decided not to argue with his daughter and turned to Danny for an explanation.

"Could explain the situation to me, Daniel James?" Damon inquired.

Danny Fenton sighed, then took a short time to gather his thoughts to mentally prepare himself for the sore topic ahead.

"...Okay. Val, remember when I took Paulina to the Fall Dance and she had on a gold necklace with an amulet hanging on it?"

"Oh yeah. That was around the same time that ghost dragon popped up." Valerie recalled.

"Well, that's because it was an object of power that existed between the fourth and the sixteenth centuries, and depending on the wearer's mood, it can transform a person into a spirit dragon." Danny explained, shocking the two. "The item managed to be carried with them to the afterlife."

"...And you gave that to Paulina!?" Valerie shouted.

"I'll admit, it wasn't the best move, and I eventually realized that I was being used just as much as I inadvertently tried my hand at winning her over. Trust me, I learned my lesson," Danny reassured the cocoa-skinned girl, much to the amusement of Damon.

"So you managed to get the amulet back, right?" Asked Damon.

"Well, not immediately," Danny said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck while averting his eyes elsewhere. "According to Tucker, Sam and a run-in with Paulina in the restroom where she was told of her true intentions of dumping me, so Paulina gave Sam the amulet while leaving her seething in the restroom."

"So, you had to stop Sam while she was a ghost dragon, then retrieve the necklace to change her back," Damon concluded.

"Bingo," Danny confirmed with a small smile.

"I still can't believe people couldn't put two and two together," Valerie said, shaking her head.

"So, how did the dance end?" Damon asked, only for Valerie and Danny to wince.

"...Well, it went alright at first, but…"

-Flashback, Autumn Formal School Dance, Casper High, 2004-

Fifteen minutes had passed since the Phantom of Amity Park's victory against a dragonized Sam Manson. Shortly after retrieving the Amulet of Aragon from her neck, Phantom had quickly left the football field and transformed back into a black dress suit-wearing Danny Fenton to preserve his identity as he approached his friend, who was now wearing violet eye shadow, a black form-fitting corset top, fingerless black gloves with black strings tied to the arms, and with a flowing violet skirt.

Thankfully, Sam had not only had no suspicion towards Danny's secret, but she also had no recollection regarding her previous draconic state. To the secret superhero, it was a win-win situation.

Now, Sam, Tucker, and himself were back inside the building where the dance was being held. Due to the excitement of the dance and the dragon attack, the students began to leave in droves. However, a good majority of the Casper High students (including the A-Listers) were present in wait for the slow song to take their dates on a last dance.

"Dude, sorry that your date didn't pan out." Tucker, who was wearing his own suit, apologized to Danny. "Where is Paulina, anyway?"

Sam awkwardly coughed at the boys, who turned to her as she pointed towards the back of the room. Danny and Tucker looked in that direction, then spotted Paulina, crossing her arms as she listened to Dash's meager attempts at wooing her, with the popular girl still allowing him to do so.

Of course, Danny's super hearing allowed him to pick up what was being said.

"So, do you like quarterbacks?" Dash inquired with a sly smile.

"...Ugh! You're so annoying." Paulina scoffed, rolling her eyes with her arms crossed as Dash leaned closer to her.

"Hey, it's a part of my natural charm." Dash stated, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Just shut up and kiss me already, you jerk." Paulina said vehemently before regretfully locking lips with the blond jock to keep up school appearances.

Tucker and Sam looked at each other in a wince, uttering, "Yikes…"

Danny averted his eyes, slightly hurt at the fact that his date was ditching him for a popular guy.

"Well…I guess I've had that one coming." Danny muttered to himself softly as he shifted his attention elsewhere with his hands in his pockets.

Wanting to alleviate her friend's pain and to distract him, Sam placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to the DJ that was across the room.

"H-hey, look! The DJ's still playing." Sam pointed out before making eye contact with Danny. "And I think there's time for one last dance?"

Danny glanced at her in confusion for a moment before Tucker shoved an elbow to one of the raven-haired boys' side.

"Ow!" Danny winced, only for Tucker to clear his throat loudly clear his throat while discreetly telling him "Dance with her!".

"E-Er, I don't mind if you don't mind!" Danny said, laughing nervously. "I mean, what are friends fo-"

"-He'd love to dance with you!" Tucker exclaimed, winking at Sam while patting Danny's back before taking the raven-haired backpack that contains the amulet unbeknownst to both Tucker and Sam. "Let me carry that for you, Buddy."

Out of nowhere, Danny found himself carrying on with the last song of the night, slow dancing with his best friend, Sam.

Now, normally, he would be genuinely happy with the outcome. All things considered, Danny managed to save his original date and his current dance partner's lives, there weren't any casualties under his watch, defeated the dragon by learning how to use the Fenton Fisher with Jazz's help, and managed to solve the dragon mystery thanks to his internet friend's assistance.

Heck, she may not be Paulina, but Danny didn't mind sharing such a moment with Sam. To Danny, she looked amazing in her own unique and gothic way. And yet, after all that he had gone through up to this moment, Danny couldn't shake off the sense of foreboding that lingered over him like a ghost that even his ghost powers couldn't fight off.

He knew something was up with Sam and her defensive nature over him and Tucker, but especially Danny himself. Contrary to popular belief, Danny had always paid attention to little details regarding Sam's character such as her clinginess, the previously mentioned overprotective nature that boardlined to possessiveness, and her tendencies to refuse to elaborate on weird things she would say about him about her and vice versa.

To Danny's knowledge, Sam had acted this way toward him ever since they'd met, and whenever they saw this side of Sam, kids their age, older, and even some of the adults would tease them by calling him and Sam "love birds", which they vehemently denied every time. This occurred so often that, from Danny's perspective, it solidified their status and instilled in him that it would never change.

But, that didn't mean that the idea of him and Sam being more never lingered. He began to suspect that Sam might have harbored feelings for him halfway through eighth grade. But due to him knowing Sam being the kind of person to be upfront with her feelings, and the mixed signals she was sending him, he opted to just leave the concept hooking up with Sam and try to move on to different girls. If not, at the very least, wait until Sam is ready to talk to him and be honest with her feelings.

But then, Danny received his ghost powers, complicating his life, ergo, his various relationships in the process, and completely changed his desire for possible romances to not wanting to endanger any person in pursuit of companionship.

For a split second, Danny zoned out as he glanced over Sam's shoulder to find Tucker, who had a big smile and gave his best friends (notably, Danny), a double thumbs up and a great big smile. This started to paint a certain picture in his mind. One that he had already suspected for a while. And Danny's superhearing did not help his case against the matter as he heard some of the kids, including the A-Listers, talk amongst themselves.

"Hey, look who's on the dance floor."

"It's about time they've hooked up."

"Goth Geek and Freaky Fenton, what a perfect couple."

"Ha! It's so like Manson to pick up sloppy seconds."

"Why waste the spotlight on those loser love birds? Everybody knew they were gonna end up together."

"Si. It was so obvious."

It was here that all of the pieces fell into place in Danny's mind. Tucker knew about Sam's feelings about him. Everybody knew, but never told him straight up. Not even Sam, yet he was expected to figure it out and go from there. And since Tucker put him on the spot, he was in an atmosphere that was perfect for Sam to confess. And again, Danny wouldn't have a problem with this if it happened sooner (i.e., prior to 8/4).

Danny's mind snapped out of his anxiety-driven thoughts when Sam called to him.

"-You okay, Danny? You stopped moving for a sec." Sam questioned with visible worry on her face.

"W-Who, me?" Danny asked, forming a weak smile. "Just dandy, though I wish there was a slight draft. It's like a sauna in here."

"Alright, but you better keep your pants on this time." Sam warned him with a soft smile.

"Doing my best here." Danny said while he tried his best to look at anyone else but Sam out of nervousness.

Sam felt Danny's heart race out of anxiety and decided to intervene with a gutsy move on her part.

"...Hey, look at me." Sam spoke, placing her hand beneath his chin, and turned his face to meet her gaze. "There's something I have to tell you…something important."

'...Uh oh.' Danny uttered in his mind. 'Please don't tell me what I think you're gonna tell me.'

"...Yeah? What's up?" Danny questioned.

"...T-The thing is…" Sam tried to bring it out. "...I l-like you, Danny."

For a moment, Danny inwardly sighed in relief and said, "I like you to Sa-"

"-No, Danny. I mean, I really like you. A lot." Sam clarified, chalking up to teenage boys being dense. "And I want to be with you… I want us to be more than just best friends."

Danny froze in place as the ghost inside of him began to freak out. After all, if he decided to go for a relationship with Sam, his ghost-hunting life would somehow find its way into her personal life. And like tonight, he may inadvertently put her life in danger.

If only she had confessed sooner. Because of Danny's poor luck, he couldn't even find love with a girl who pined for him for years right in front of him.

'...This isn't fair. This is not fair!' Danny swore in his mind. 'DAMN IT! WHY!? WHY DID I HAVE TO GO AND TURN ON THAT FUCKING PORTAL!? I CAN'T EVEN DATE WITHOUT MY POWERS SCREWING WITH MY LIFE! …I never had a chance, not as human, or whatever the hell I am now.'

It was after keeping himself together from having a complete mental breakdown that Danny resolved himself to do what needed to be done to keep Sam safe.

"Sam… I don't know what to say," Danny tried speaking with a tender but solid resolve. "I mean, you're a nice girl, and you're one of the strongest people that I know. I'm very lucky to have you in my life as one of my awesome best friends, and any guy would be lucky to be with you if they got to know how cool you are… But today has got me thinking, and I realize that now isn't the best time for me to have a serious relationship."

Sam's mind went blank for a moment as Danny spoke some more, "B-But I still want to be friends! Are you okay with that, Sam? …Uh, Sam?"

Danny's voice was turned off by Sam's ears as the girl thought about what she had been through from her perspective. She was busy processing Danny's words as images of past events flashed in the goth girl's mind. She recalled trying to get Danny to hang out during and after school, only for him to either make up excuses as to why he couldn't before bailing on her (and Tucker), or say that he had time, only for him to leave in the middle of their activity and flaking on her (and Tucker), only to come back at the very last minute without context, then lie to her. And now, her run-in with Paulina in the bathroom flashed in her mind, and remembered vehemently defending Danny, the same guy who had impulsively jumped into scoring a date with the prettiest girl in school without giving her, his best friend, the time of day as a girl.

With this realization coming to the forefront, the overwhelming and crushing sensation of rejection settled into her heart, shattering it into pieces.

From there, tears began to cascade from Sam Manson's face, ruining her mascara. This, alone, sent waves of panic through Danny Fenton.

"Hey, what's wrong? Was it something that I-"

Danny's words were cut short as a loud smack echoed across the room, catching everybody off guard, including the A-Listers, Tucker, and Danny himself. The music stopped, as the DJ set his sights on the moment. Hell, not even Mr. Lancer had seen such a thing coming.

The secret superhero found himself on the ground, holding his right cheek had a radiating hand print that singed in pain, courtesy of a scorned, yet tear-stricken Sam. And her eyes pierced through his soul, making the Phantom in Danny squirm.

"Y-YOU SELFISH PRICK!" Sam screeched, feeling her anger take control of her in the heat of the moment while enraged by Danny's sudden hypocrisy. "HOW CAN YOU BE SO STUPID!?"

"Sam…" Danny tried to speak, only for Sam to interrupt him.

"YOU FALL FOR ANY OTHER SHALLOW FLOOZY THAT LOOKS IN YOUR DIRECTION, BUT WANT TO PULL THE "WRONG TIME" CARD WHEN IT COMES TO THE ONE PERSON WHO LOVES YOU!? WHAT BULLSHIT!" Sam hissed at him. "YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!"

Danny mulled over Sam's words, then recognized what he ended up doing given her lack of context with him being the Phantom of Amity Park.

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"Save it!" Sam growled, glaring at the downed boy. "...I don't know what the hell happened to you and why you've been acting strange, but at this point, I don't know who you are anymore! And frankly, you're DEAD to me!"

Before Danny could get up and stop her from leaving, Sam stormed out of the building. This left a deafening silence that would haunt Danny Fenton for the next year as the peers who witnessed the scene all turned to the boy who bowed his head in shame.

-Flashback End-

"...After that, word on the event became widespread throughout the school. I started seeing Tucker less since Sam needed the emotional support. I understood, of course, I basically was basically friendless for the rest of the school." Danny explained in a quiet tone.

'...And the bullying reached an all-time high, but I'm not mentioning that for obvious reasons.'

"...I'm sorry that you went through all of that, son." Damon apologized.

"Forget it. It was my mistake for going after someone like Paulina in the first place." Danny said, shouldering the blame. "All I saw was a pretty face I crushed on with the allure of popularity. Maybe, in a sense, I should have approached Sam with the gut feeling I originally had, and maybe I could have avoided all of that drama we went through in the dance."

Valerie scoffed, stating, "Hey, I can relate. Kwan left me to bring Star as his date, but I didn't lose sleep over it."

"I'm surprised, given Kwan hooked up with her afterward. Wasn't Star your best friend?" Danny questioned.

"She was, but not anymore." Valerie bitterly huffed.

"It sounds like Sam has strong feelings for you, Daniel James." Damon commented.

'Has? I'm one hundred and twenty percent sure that she hates me now.' Danny sarcastically remarked in his mind.

In contrast to his true thoughts, Danny verbally answered, "I know. I mean, I had my suspicions since the tail end of middle school, but I didn't want to go by assumptions, and I learned not to press Sam on matters she's not comfortable talking about. So, I thought I waited for her to come out of her shell…and she did it right when I started my Phantom antics."

"If you didn't have you ghost powers, would you have reciprocated her feelings?" Damon questioned.

"I don't know, maybe?" A baffled Danny Fenton mumbles as he mulls over the options of a hypothetical world where he didn't have such responsibilities.

"Whatever. Heartbroken or not, what she did to you was uncalled for." Valerie pointed out with a frown. "And putting Tucker in the middle isn't fair to him or you."

"Val, she's done this before whenever she and Tucker bicker. Maybe not to this extent but-" Danny tried to reassure the girl, but Valerie stopped him.

"-DJ, she told you in front of your face that you were dead to her. In front of the school." Valerie reminded the boy. "Unless you enjoy jumping through hoops to get back into her good graces and be her "yes man", I don't see a reason you should try to be her friend again."

Suddenly, Jack's words rang through Danny's mind.

-you're a Fenton, and we Fentons never quit!

"I'm not giving up on Sam!" Danny firmly stated as he looked straight into Valerie's eyes while a bit of his ghostly obsession bled into his human form. "I'd do the same if I had hurt anyone of my friends, like you."

This caused Valerie to open her mouth and then closed it when a realization hit her.

"...Danny, are you still blaming yourself for what happened to our house?" Asked the secret ghost huntress.

Danny didn't say anything, prompting Damon to intervene.

"...Let's handle one problem at a time," Damon instructed as he spoke to Danny. "Now, Daniel James, I think it's important to consider what some of Valerie Jo is saying. Personally, I think there is nothing wrong with honesty, and girls especially prefer honesty. Did you tell the truth about how you felt about her?"

"Yes, Sir." Danny nodded while still wearing his red hoodie.

"That's good, but there probably was a better means to handle such a delicate situation, right?" Damon questioned.

"I guess, I could have held off on giving her an answer or maybe had her wait until we were alone." Danny mulled over in a low tone.

"Regardless of your choice, the important thing to know that is that we're human. We make mistakes throughout our lifetime, and while you're growing up to be the man that you will become, you're going to make plenty of them." Damon spoke. "And during this hectic journey, we call life, you will make many friends. Some friends may come and go, and others may last a lifetime, but you should be mindful of who you want to have around since bad company corrupts good morals."

Danny asked, "What I should do? Sam's been my friend for years and we've been through a lot together. I don't want that to change."

Damon closed his eyes and sympathized with Danny, he thought, '...It's like I'm listening to my younger self-talk about my former marriage with Connie.'

"Listen, Daniel, if this girl is invaluable to you, then he should try to work things out with her. But if you feel that you've grown too far apart, then you should part ways with her for your sake after finding closure. Whether or not she forgives you would be on her."

Danny thought to himself, '...That's similar to what Dad told me.'

The boy nodded and said, "...Alright. Thanks for the talk."

Fifteen minutes later, Valerie went up to her room after thanking Danny for his left. The Fenton boy was about to leave when he was called to Damon's office. Danny entered the room where the man waited. In his hand was what seemed to be a chrome belt with green accents, resembling Fenton Works technology.

Danny gasped before uttering, "Is that what I think it is?"

"Yup," The older African American stated. "The nanotech-based utility belt prototype. This second one is modeled after your current one."

Danny smiled as he was handed the device. He then transformed into Phantom and took off the original belt.

While putting the new nanotech utility belt, Phantom asked, "What does it come with?"

"Aside from the features your original belt has, once it's linked to your special DNA, the nanobots follow the command of its wearer through its mental connection to you." Damon explained.

"For real? This sounds an awful lot like Valerie's new suit." Phantom pointed out.

"Well, Valley Jo might have let me check out a thing or two," Damon admitted. "She didn't mind if it helps out with work."

"Hey, I don't judge," Phantom said, holding out his hands before thinking about a Fenton Thermos. "Now, let's see…"

Suddenly, bits of nanobots quickly formed a chrome and green mini Fenton Thermos on a bracelet on his right wrist, causing Phantom to marvel at the device.

"...Sweet!" Phantom said in awe.

"It's also built with a tracking device, so Valerie, Jasmine, and myself are aware of your location so long as the belt worn." Damon explained. "And since you've been given it, I expect you to use it so I can collect data."

"Of course!" Phantom said out of excitement. "Now, I don't have to use the old Fenton Thermos! Maybe I'll give Jazz my old belt."

"That's a good idea." Damon commented. "Here, let me walk you to the door.

The two walked back outside after Phantom transformed back into Danny.

"Thank you, Mr. Gray," Danny said. "For everything."

"Don't mention it, son. You and Jasmine are always welcome here." Damon reminded the teenager.

"...Hey, how come you never told my parents my secret?" Danny inquired as the random thought came into mind.

Damon blinked, then gathered his thoughts as he delivered his honest answer.

"Under normal circumstances, I would have done so the day that I learned of it. In fact, I was going to tell them myself." Damon explained, much to Danny's shock. "But I've been holding back on it when I saw what good you, your sister, and Valerie Jo have been doing together as a team. I don't trust those Guys In White, and as knowledgeable as your parents are in their field, their shortcomings as ghost hunters have done more harm to the town than good."

Danny's eyes widened when Damon told the boy, "I believe that in the advent of the constant haunts of Amity Park people like the Ghost Huntress and Phantom are necessary. Not by themselves, but as a unit under supervision. That is why I have come to an agreement with you kids."

This made Danny feel good about himself. It felt like all of his sacrifices were worthwhile.

"Let me tell you this, though," Damon spoke to him, placing a hand on his shoulder in a supportive manner. "Don't wait too long to talk to us, parents. Like myself, your parents may be scientists, but our love for your kids is our priority. If you give us a little credit and the chance to understand, we may surprise you."

With a small goodbye, Damon went back inside his home, leaving Danny on the stairs. Danny walked away from the apartment and when the coast was clear, transformed, turned, invisible, and flew out of Elmerton as Phantom with the words of Damon still resounding in his mind.

---

Casper High, Amity Park, IL

Three days after Damon spoke to Danny, Wednesday came rolling around and the local teenagers from within the district returned to Casper High.

Among the kids that entered the school, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley entered the main hall and decided to hang out in the empty homeroom.

Currently, they were listening to the news on the radio feature of one of Tucker's PDAs. Obviously, the topic of interest they were looking for was the famous (and infamous) ghost superhero, Danny Phantom.

"Good morning, Amity Park. This is Lance Thunder of Action News. Looking for another beautiful day here in the city. A few clouds to start us off…" Lancer started as he began talking about the casual morning weather.

The news then shifted to what the two teens wanted to hear with the voice of a female reporter.

"...The steady increase in sightings of the Phantom of Amity Park, now Danny Phantom, has sparked a debate over the psychology of ghosts and role of vigilantism in American crime fighting." The female reporter stated.

Then another reporter, male, stated, "How about that Ghost Kid, Danny Phantom? Last night on the Poe Bridge, he saved a dozen lives. We wanna hear your calls."

"The guy seems to care if he's willing to risk his afterlife for the living. I think without Phantom, there'd be no hope for this city." One guy, seemingly a young adult, commented.

Once one person's call was finished, the news got a call from another person on the station.

"He's a load of stuffing, that's what he is! I mean, who do you think pays the bills for all the damages he causes during ghost attacks, huh? It's you and me, taxpayers! If you ask me, he's a pesky spook, just like the rest of them!" A grouchy middle-aged man fussed, causing Sam to roll her eyes while Tucker chuckled.

One other negative comment reached the airwaves as a concerned mother stated, "Why can't he move on from the living world like normal ghosts? Helpful or not, I just don't feel like my kids are safe with a ghost out there, haunting our town and contributing to the problem. Leave us living folk be and let the police and the Fentons do their jobs!"

Sam was not happy about this, but Tucker's gaze kept her from going on a tangent as the news report continued.

"Rumors online speculate the origins of the Phantom. Some people believed he was a young human who tragically passed away, saving a person's life, and has remained as a protective spirit. Others believe he was a mischievous child upon death that became a malevolent spirit, merely playing the hero to win over the masses to control the youth. Few even have gone so far to claim that he's no ghost, but an Alpha masquerading as spirit." Lance Thunder explained. "What do you think? Is the Ghost Boy heroic, villainous, or fraudulent?"

Action News radio host then stated that he had gotten a call from one of the people involved in the so-called "Pyramid" incident native to Amity Park.

"Just in, we have a caller on the line named Tracey. She says she knows Danny Phantom."

"If you told me that ghosts or magic were real a couple of weeks ago, I'd have phoned some folks to send you to the nut house. But the Pyramid fiasco changed my whole life. Now that I know better, I can say that Phantom, to me, is misunderstood. Spirit or not, he's a kid who chooses to protect us because he cares and is a very kind person. I know, because he saved me from that death coaster and that creep, Freakshow. I hope he rots in a cell for the rest of his days." Tracey expressed.

While Tracey's words brightened Sam's day, the last one left damped it a little as a man complained.

"This Ghost Kid... He's not the police, he's not a fireman, he's not even alive anymore. What gives him the right to get involved in other living people's business? I say he should go back to wherever souls go after death."

Hearing enough, Sam pressed a button on Tucker's PDA, turning off the radio.

"Hey, I was still listening to that!" Tucker complained.

Sam scoffed, "Yeah, and now we're done. I mean seriously, what's with our backward town treating our only protection from ghosts like garbage?"

"To be fair, Phantom's public reception in our town has become a sixty/forty split with most of them rallying for him." Tucker stated, showing her an online poll from the website hosted by the newspaper company, Amity Park Angle. "In terms of people our age and college students, it's an eighty/twenty split with most people on his side."

"Still, it's not fair," Sam said, crossing her arms.

Wanting to talk her mind off of negative things, Tucker pivots to a lighter topic. Tucker then pulled out an image of Danny Phantom in his classic jumpsuit (with the logo) that was mostly black with a white belt, gloves, boots, and neck covering that spread to his center chest, and an image of Phantom's current suit which consisted of more white accents around the arms and sides of the torso while the gloves turned black. He still had the white ghostly DP insignia on the center of the chest.

"Which do you prefer, the classic suit or the current one?" Tucker questioned.

Sam peered at the two images, then said, "Easy, classic one wins all the time."

"What? Come on, Sam. I didn't peg you for a Plain Jane." Tucker chided playfully.

"I resent that!" Sam hissed. "I just admire the original, okay?"

"What's next? Are you gonna say that Spider-Man was better than Spider-Man 2?" The beanie-wearing kid quipped.

Sam rolled her eyes with a smile and said, "Don't be stupid, Tuck. The sequel blew the first Spider-Man movie out of the water. But this is different."

"How?" Tucker challenged. "The first suit was fine, but it lacks that flair, you know? He didn't even have a logo, let alone a proper name."

"Haven't you heard the saying "Less is more", Tucker? His second suit looks too… bombastic for my tastes."

"Of course it is, he's a superhero with that Silver Age retrofit. It suits him." Tucker defended before snorting at his bad joke. "Get it?"

"Right," Sam said, rolling her eyes before countering Tuck's argument, "One of the things that made him unique was the mystery behind Phantom. He hadn't any definitive name, and the suit reflects that. His personality and heroism contrasted well with his black and white suit, making him eerie enough paired with his ominous ghostly powers. That's what makes the suit work."

Tucker blinked in awe, his lips parted at how passionately Sam was preaching the importance of Phantom's classic suit.

"What?" Sam inquired. "Is there something on my face?"

'Geez, and I thought Paulina and Dash were mega fans. She's more hung up on a celebrity crush than she's angry at Danny.'

Tucker tried getting out of answering Sam's question by looking at the images of Phantom, only to be drawn by his logo.

"...You know, I thought it was my mind playing tricks, but I swear I've seen this symbol somewhere…" Tucker verbally pondered.

"What are you talking about?" Sam questioned.

Tucker then pointed at the image of Danny Phantom's suit, "Take a look at his suit's logo. Are you getting the sense of deja vu, or is it just me?"

Sam peered at the image for a moment, then said, "...Woah, you're right! It looks like one of my old Donny Parson logo sketches from seventh grade!"

"Oh yeah, you used to be obsessed with that mystery book series during middle school." Tucker reminisced. "It was like your Harry Potter or something."

"Don't compare DP to that mainstream garbage! I swear, J.K. Rowling is so overrated," Sam hissed.

"Fair enough, though I still think that art contest robbed you of a win." Tucker stated.

"Ugh, don't remind me. Those logo sketches were sleek compared to the one they chose for the up-and-coming living TV show." Sam bitterly huffed before repressing the urge to vomit. "...Filthy corporate hacks!"

Tucker cracked a smile and said, "Well, at least Phantom seemed to agree with your tastes in style.

Sam blushed at the thought, wondering if the ghost-themed superhero had been watching over her before the start of high school. However, warm thoughts regarding her celebrity crush turned the gears of her curious mind as her previous revelation returned front and center.

'...That's right. Jazz and Danny may be in contact with Phantom.' Sam deduced. 'That's the only way I can see Phantom legitimately getting one of their parent's Fenton Thermoses. …Now that I think of it, what if that is tied to Danny's weird behavior? …I need answers. Before I stoop low to talk to HIM, I'm gonna need confirmation from Jazz. Hopefully, she doesn't get as ugly as it did with her parents.'

Meanwhile, across the hall of the homeroom, Star and Paulina of the A-Listers were making small talk while on their way to Mr. Lancer's class after stopping at their respective lockers.

"Hey, Paulie~! Excited for the party this Saturday?" Star questioned in her valley girl accent.

"Sí, estoy emocionado!" Paulina answered positively. "This will be the biggest event since the quinceañera! All of the popular people from school will be there. I hope you sent the invites I gave you."

"I course I did, girl! Who do you take me for, a loser?" Star stated before the two shared a giggle. "...So, give me the deets! Who are you bringing?"

"Oh, you know, some mutuals that I know from Tremorton. Their parents are friends of mi Papa and have an eye for fashion. They'll be helping me with the decor. Dashy's bringing a power couple from Middleton, and they are bringing some of their friends, too!"

"Ooo~! That sounds fun!" Star squealed. "I can't wait!"

"Who are you bringing, chica?" Paulina questioned.

"Oh, nobody special. Just a rich girl from a family my parents do business with. They are based in Beverly Hills." Star explained, prompting the Latina's eyes to widen in astonishment. "And she's bringing her friends as well."

Paulina was over the moon about this information and said, "I knew I could count on you, Señorita! Oh, before you forget, dates are an absolute requirement."

"No need to worry, Paulie. I'm going with my Kwan." Star declared proudly, prompting Paulina to roll her eyes which the blonde detected.

"Huh? What's wrong?" The Caucasian blonde girl questioned.

"Come on, chica. You can read the room. Your little thing with Lee hasn't been all that's cracked up to be." Paulina pointed out.

"What do you mean? We're doing just fine!" Star said defensively. "I'm on the cheer squad, and Kwan's a star athlete second to Dash! We're perfect!"

"On paper, it should be perfect." Paulina corrected. "But don't pretend that you haven't read the room like the rest of us, Star. The boy hasn't been paying attention to who should matter since our little run-in with that Northwest skank. Hell, I heard from Mia that she's been eying the goth geek because of her family's apparently royalty in town."

Deep down, Star knew that Paulina had been correct with her analysis, but she wasn't ready to give up on her boyfriend. Unlike Dash and Paulina, she and Kwan loved each other genuinely. They shared too much and had gone too much to jeopardize what they had, and Star couldn't imagine being with anybody else after seeing who Kwan was beneath the popularity.

"That's not true!" Star denied. "H-He's just distracted by all of the drama, is all! Just watch, when the party comes around, Kwan will fall for me all over again!"

Not buying the possibility but not wanting to escalate the situation, ended the topic by saying, "Good luck with that, chica. Just keep in mind to upgrade soon."

"Whatever. Anyway, are you bringing Dash as your date?" Star asked, given that the two were the highest of the social hierarchy aside from one other person in Casper High.

"No way, he's gross." Paulina said nonchalantly. "Besides, he's trying to gun for Jazz."

"Jazz? You mean Freaky Fenton's sister?" Star said before suppressing a laugh. "Wow, he's way out of her league."

"I know right? She's beautiful, on the principal's list, and will be valedictorian of her class. If anything, he'll be crawling back to me in no time. That's why he'll be back up." Paulina explained with a satisfied smile.

"Fair. So who will you bring, if not Dash?" Star inquired.

An ambitious gleam filled Paulina's blue eyes as she answered, "I'm gonna ask Ghost Boy, obviously!"

Star raised an eyebrow and repeated her answer, "The Ghost Boy? As in Danny Phantom, the big-time superhero? That Ghost Boy?"

"Well, duh! There's not a cooler option than the coolest guy in Amity Park." Paulina justified.

"Okay, let's say that I believe you could pull it off. How are you going to get in contact with a ghost?" Star questioned,

"Oh, that's easy," Paulina chirped before something caught her attention.

Star watched a mischievous smirk form on the Latina's face as they watched the hoodie-wearing Danny Fenton pass by, ignoring and avoiding the kids near him.

Star, baffled, stated, "You're kidding me. Paulina, there's NO way that a loser like Fenton could contact Phantom of all people."

Paulina rolled her eyes for the umpteenth time, then said, "Please. Mega loser or not, Freaky Fenton obviously doesn't carry his parents' prejudice against ghosts. Plus, he's a hero, why would he need to steal anything? So, it only makes sense that their kids are in it."

Star thought about what her best friend was saying and said, "...You know, that does make a fair bit of sense. Still, this is Freaky Fenton we're talking about, the same loser you dumped at the dance last year. He wouldn't be inclined to help you at all."

Paulina, relishing the challenge, asked, "Wanna bet?"

Over at Danny's direction, around the corner, he spotted one of the nerds, Nathan Lester, getting shaken down by Dash Baxter with Dale right next to him.

The two cornered the boy, while Dash hissed, "Cough it up, Nate, or else we're using that curly hair as the school's next toilet cleaner!"

"Okay! Okay!" Nathan quivered, being held up to the wall by his collar before anxiously taking out three twenty-dollar bills and some spare change.

Dash swiped it, counted the bills and the change, then walked away with Dale in tow while saying, "Thanks for the change, Chump!"

Nathan sank down onto his knees and was about to cry when Danny approached him.

"...Hey, you okay?" The hoodie-wearing boy asked, taking the tear-stricken ginger by surprise.

"W-What?" Nathan questioned, confused as to why Danny, of all people, was talking to him.

"You looked like you were having a rough time back there." Danny pointed out, causing Nathan's head to droop down.

"...I lost my lunch money for the week again," Nathan muttered. "I can barely afford breakfast and dinner, how am I going to explain this to my dad?"

Without hesitation, Danny looked around to make sure that a bully wasn't around the corner before he did something that shocked Nathan. Danny reached into his back pocket, took out his wallet, and gave the nerd his allowance, covering Nathan's stolen lunch money.

"W-What are you-?" Nathan tried to ask, only for Danny to interrupt him.

"-Starting today, head over to the cafeteria during lunch as fast as possible. Once you get your lunch, head to the roof where nobody can find you. Use the back stairs to get back to the halls and you should be able to get to your next class on time." Danny instructed.

Nathan gaped at this act of compassion, then asked, "H-How do you know if that works?"

"As Dash's favorite punching bag and the biggest loser on campus, I've got some experience." Danny said with a lazy smile before waving Nathan goodbye.

Nathan looked at Danny's retreating back as he retreated into the crowd of student traffic, shocked at the boy's sudden hospitality before gazing at his left hand. The boy had given him a one hundred dollar bill, shifting the nerd's pre-existing mindset regarding Danny Fenton's character.

"...I guess he's not a bad guy after all." Nathan muttered before walking in the opposite direction of Danny.

Little did Danny know, Jazz's locker was close by, and the older sister smiled at the sight of her younger brother's growth, both as Phantom and Fenton. But unbeknownst to anybody, the invisible ghost of Sidney Pointdexter had watched his foe-turned-friend's good deed attentively.

---

Clockwork's Lair, Ghost Zone

Deep within the regions of the Ghost Zone, there was a large structure connected to two floating terrains. It was a small clock-themed castle with a tower that resembled a grandfather clock, various cog-shaped walls and ledges and a large clock with several scythes posted around it. This was the lair of Clockwork, the Spirit of Time and Guidance who maintained the timestream.

Inside of the castle, Clockwork was in his tower watching a portal that observed Danny talking to and helping fellow student Nathan. With the master of time were five identical spirits.

They had green-skinned hands with talon-like fingernails and instead of a conventional head, had a light green dome-like head with a green iris-having eyeball in the center. They wore white robes with gold trimming on their sleeves and collar, a gold line running down the robe and a black high collar cape with gold trimming and a black sash belt.

They were the Observants, Spirits of Fate and Judgement who observed the past, present and future and punished those who would threaten the balance of the physical and spiritual worlds.

"As you can see as clear as day, the boy maintains his humanity, even with the pressure that has been put upon him." Clockwork said to his guests.

"He is a disaster waiting to happen, Clockwork, no good can come from the second Halfa's presence in our time." One of the Observants said, looking at the vision of Danny at school, causing Clockwork to sigh in frustration.

"If I could not see every outcome and pathway within the flow of time, then your presence in my domain would not be warranted." Clockwork said while gripping his Time Staff. "Why do you fret over this Halfa, when the first of their kind is not only already evil but poses a more immediate threat to your precious balance?"

"We have contingencies in place for when the time comes to deal with Vlad Masters. Though he is indeed a threat, it took Masters decades to become as powerful as he is now." Another Observant replied.

"The boy however is different. His growth rate is uncanny, even amongst our kind. We did not expect him to gain this much power within the span of a year." One of the other Observants explained. "That much power in the hands of a growing and conflicting adolescent is too risky to be ignored."

"To allow such an anomaly to grow and become out of control cannot be permitted." Another Observant said. "If Daniel Fenton is consumed by the power he possesses, then he will become a threat to both realms."

"I am well aware of the dangers the boy poses should he stray from the righteous path." Clockwork said in frustration. "While it is true that this past iteration of that monster might be the closest to becoming like him, I know more than anyone in the universe that the future is not set in stone."

"You have too much faith in mortals, Clockwork, you've seen how humanity's world will end, yet you choose to simply watch." One of the Observants said.

"Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black." Clockwork said with an amused chuckle. "You need not worry, Observants, the Halfa will not become the ultimate enemy that you envision."

"Of all the creatures and entities within the realms, why would the Mother choose to purposefully create such a dangerous anomaly?" One Observant questioned.

"How short-sighted you Observants are in spite of your clairvoyant nature." Clockwork said with a smirk. "Even now, the fog of certainty clouds your vision from seeing what lies in front of you."

"You question our power, Clockwork?" The Observants asked.

"You question the Mother's will?" Clockwork asked back, causing the Observants to fall silent. "Throughout the entire span of my existence and observation of the flow of time, the Mother has not been wrong, nor has she made mistakes. Her creations have a purpose, and the Halfas are no different. The difference between you and I is that I know better than to question the Mother's plans."

The Observants rather than protest, chose to keep their opinions to themselves.

"It seems that we are at an impasse regarding the Phantom's situation." One of the Observants said. "Very well, we shall take our leave, Clockwork, for now. But should the boy or Masters pose a threat that grows beyond our control, then we will be back."

The Observants then all disappeared from Clockwork's lair in a flash of white light. The Spirit of Time and Guidance then looked at the vision of Danny again, this time the boy was walking to his locker to get stuff for his next class.

"Yes, they will be back, sooner than expected." Clockwork said as he looked to the ground and picked up what looked like a red playing card with gold trimming and one yellow oval-shaped eye with a slit pupil on the back of it. "Your move, brother."

---

Casper High, Amity Park

Danny was having a decent day. There wasn't a ghost attack on the school, he managed to keep his attendance for every class, and he kept minimum to no contact with his bullies and Sam.

In fact, Danny grew numb to the concept that Sam wanted nothing to do with him. Sure, it hurt like hell for the first several months, but as his superhero life and classwork took most of his time outside of school, he would regretfully admit that he got used to it. Sure, it meant that his interactions with Tucker, his oldest friend, had lessened but it didn't dampen their bond all that much. Contrary to what most believed, Tucker and Danny's friendship had strengthened as they recognized how much they had taken for granted being away from one another. However, they kept their distance for the sake of Sam and the preservation of their fragmented trio.

On the bright side, he managed to train with his powers on the down low with Mason and Jazz recording his progress on the Phantom Files. Spectral Constructs managed to come a bit easier now that he had seen how it worked from his fight with Plasmius and the experience of using it during the Pyramid Incident. During one of these sessions, Danny gave Jazz his old utility belt and his old Fenton Thermos to hold on to for him, which she accepted.

Due to the damaged library, Danny had to go to one of the temporary designations for Study Period, which was a specific classroom he was assigned to. On his way to that classroom, the isolated Fenton child decided to stop by his locker to grab some supplies.

Unbeknownst to Danny, someone had been following him.

When Danny unlocked his locker, the teen took out the contents needed when the person who followed him spoke to the least popular boy.

"Hi Danny~!"

Danny immediately shut his locker's door, finding Paulina Sanchéz next to his locker while gracing him with her seemingly innocent and stunning smile. If Danny saw this over a year ago, his knees would have given out as if they were made of gelatin. Now, his stomach was churning out of nausea.

She had noticed the tense body language he showed and that his face carried a nervous expression. Though, unlike last year, Danny wasn't smiling at the Latina.

"...Paulina?" Danny spoke cautiously while keeping his voice in a volume so that she could only hear him. "What are you doing here? If you're looking at Dash and your other friends, they're across the hall."

"No, no, no. I'm not looking for them," Paulina clarified. "I was hoping that you could do me a favor."

"Me?" Danny echoed, utterly confused.

Paulina leaned to him while cutely batting her eyelashes in an attempt to lure the boy.

"¿Podrías ayudarme, cariño~?" Paulina purred, which forced Danny to repress himself from throwing up. "Nobody else can do it but you."

It was official. Danny was officially disgusted with his former crush. He wasn't a person to her, but a means to get what she wanted, and right now, she was using what she had to get whatever she came to collect from him and toss him to the side like she did at the dance. The superhero mentally kicked himself over getting mesmerized by this witch before him. He could see why Sam reacted the way she did last year.

Stepping away from the girl's advances, Danny turned around to place his lock around his locker and responded, "I don't think I'd be much help to you. Sorry that you wasted your time with a useless loser like me."

Danny emphasized the term "useless loser", specifically throwing one of his labels Paulina made toward him right back at the girl. The boy's quiet, somber, yet cool tone caused the Latina's skin to shiver.

'Ugh, what a downer! I'm glad this freak knows his place, but he is usually more inclined to appease me.' Paulina mentally groaned before noticing how dull his baby blue eyes were. 'And what's up with the cold look? Did his eyes always look…dead? I better get this under control.'

"Don't say that, Danny." Paulina said with a patronizing and sugary faux supportive tone. "You can't be completely useless when you know my Ghost Boy."

Danny froze for a second, sealed his locker with his lock, and chose his next words carefully while turning to the popular girl.

He asked, "...Excuse me, what?"

"It's okay, Danny. There's no need to hide it." Paulina stated, trying to charm the boy.

Danny raised an eyebrow, asking, "What makes you think that I know a spirit?"

"Well, it's either you or your sister." Paulina casually answered. "You two don't seem to have anything against Phantom unlike your crazy parents, and I highly doubt they would allow a ghost to use their tools. And since my Ghost Boy seems to show up whenever you're around, I figured you were the one that hooked him up with that weird soup can."

Danny was left thoroughly stunned as he thought, 'Holy shit, she's smarter than she looks!'

Seeing Danny become tense again, Paulina reassured, "No te preocupes. You may be at the bottom tier, but I think it's a little cool that you go against those wackos-for-parents of yours to help the real hero that our town needs. And mi Fantasma needs all the help that he can get, so your secret is safe with me."

Each time Danny heard the girl label his ghost half as "her Phantom" made Danny want to laugh, but he kept that bottled up inside. On a different note, for some reason, Danny could tell that despite the verbal jabs toward his parents, he could somehow tell that Paulina genuinely appreciated him for helping, well, himself.

If only she knew the irony behind that.

Sighing, Danny asked, "Let's say that I humor you and that I did know Phantom, what is this all about?"

Paulina smiled outwardly and explained, "There's a party that I'm throwing at the country club and I want to invite the Ghost Boy as my date. I figured if there's anybody who has a chance to contact him, it be you."

'...And there it is.' Danny thought, finding the motive he needed to not fall for the girl's nonsense.

"...Sorry, I pass," Danny casually answered, which caused Paulina to pout.

"Aw, come on, Danny~! My party depends on him being there~!" Paulina said, smacking her lips while trying to imitate a sad puppy's pout. "Can't you do me this one solid, por favor~?"

At this point, Danny saw through the manipulative face of Paulina as she tried her hand at coaxing him through appealing to his good nature. But, much to Paulina's frustration, Danny wasn't buckling one bit.

Danny shrugged, stating, "I said that I can't help you. I mean, it's not like we've exchanged phone contacts or anything. He's a spirit."

"Don't your parents build stuff on the side?" Paulina pointed out in the form of a question. "You can use one of their wacky inventions to track him or something!"

"Do you have any idea of what you're suggesting?" Danny inquired, challenging Paulina's suggestion. "My parents' tools are dangerous! I'm not risking my life to satisfy your ego and your little popular friends. Forget it."

Paulina gritted her teeth, but she had to consider the geek's words. Of course, he wouldn't go through such lengths for her. His parents' inventions were known to blow up in their faces. Literally. And the way that Danny worded his explanation, Paulina couldn't help but shiver at the insinuation that the boy might have experienced that firsthand.

When she glared at the so-called "loser", the hoodie-wearing boy crossed his arms and looked at her with an annoyed expression as a response.

Running out of options and agitated with Danny's attitude, Paulina dug through her small purse and took out her wallet, surprising the youngest Fenton.

Much to his astonishment, the Latina took out a roll of one hundred dollar bills that was composed of ten of them.

"...See this, Fenton?" Paulina spoke, removing all sickly sweet pretenses and keeping a straight voice. "One thousand dollars, my entire allowance for the week. It's probably the most that you'll ever see."

She shoved the bills to his chest, inadvertently surprising herself when she mentally discovered how firm and well-toned it was. Of course, Paulina quickly shook the shock off.

"It's all yours if you do me this one solid." Paulina said in a low, almost husky accented voice, staring directly at her naturally alluring but serious gaze at Danny.

This scene slowly gathered an audience as they murmured to themselves what was happening between the highest-ranking girl and the lowest-ranking boy within the school. Sam and Tucker happened to walk by when they saw Danny and Paulina close together.

Of course, this pissed Sam off, but Tucker managed to calm the goth girl down when he told her to watch and see what was going on.

Now, everybody awaited for someone's next move.

Looking at her hand stuffed with cash on his chest, then back at the hand's owner, Danny scowled as he lightly brushed it off. This was seen as a surprise move on everybody's mind.

He then whispered to himself while walking away, "What did I ever see in you…?"

Paulina staggered back in utter bewilderment at the boy's decision. She then quickly picked up her money, got up, and tried grabbing his right wrist.

"Hey, where the hell are you going!? Come back here!" Paulina demanded.

Danny snarled at the girl's audacity and jerked his right arm away from Paulina's grip.

"No means no, Sanchéz." Danny said flatly, sending a ripple effect on Paulina and the crowd given Danny's apparent backbone showing. "Go bug somebody else for help. I'm done being used."

Paulina looked around when she heard the murmurs and realized that the two of them attracted a crowd. She had to spin the narrative to favor her. There was no way she was committing social suicide over Freaky Fenton of all people.

"Don't blow your chance! If he comes to my party, you'll be getting the credit! Imagine if people knew you knew our town's hero. You won't have to be miserable at the bottom because you'd be popular. And who knows! Play your cards right and you could become an A-Lister!" Paulina concocted, trying to look like the good guy while somehow attempting to gaslight Danny. "Don't you see, Danny? By helping me, I can help you!"

Danny immediately turned to her, raised his right finger, and pointed at the Latina with a cold narrowed glare.

"You know what? Screw popularity, screw the A-Listers, and screw you! I don't need your help," Danny said in a cold yet projecting voice so everybody could hear the rest of what he had to say. "And I'm definitely not helping you endanger our town because Daddy's selfish, spoiled, and shallow little princess wants a chance to show off to her rich friends at the ball with her Prince Charming."

Collective gasps were heard all across the halls with various bewildered and amused expressions formed on the faces of the spectating crowd. Sam and Tucker's jaws nearly created a crater on the floor from how they almost hit the floor.

Thankfully, Dash and the rest of the popular kids were on the other side of the hall, so they weren't among the crowd who watched this debacle.

Paulina was left flabbergasted. Danny Fenton, no, Freaky Fenton, was denying her. The Queen Bee of Casper High. Did this geek forget who he was talking to?

Paulina immediately slipped up and let out a slew of Spanish curses at Danny, then shouted, "¡Estúpido! ¡Maldito gringo feo! Who the hell do you think you are, pendejo!? You were a spineless and hopeless loser last year!"

Danny turned from her and said, "Things change, Paulina. I've changed. And it's like I said earlier, I'm done being used."

Before he walked off, Danny approached Paulina one last time with the harshest glare he could muster and left her with words that would haunt her in the future.

"Oh, and yeah, I know Phantom very well," Danny whispered to Paulina, "And he'll never give a girl like you the time of day."

With that, Danny quickly walked off, leaving the teary-eyed Latina while her face turned beet red from being embarrassed in front of most of the school.

"I'LL RUIN YOU!" Paulina screeched, as her angry tears messed up her make-up. "YOU HEAR ME, FREAK!? YOUR LIFE WILL BE A LIVING HELL!"

While on his way to his class, Danny heard this from several feet away and snorted, thinking, '...Go ahead. My life is already ruined.'

Meanwhile, the crowd began to disperse as Paulina was sent running to the nearest girls' bathroom with Star following close behind to comfort her.

Two people who remained in the area of the incident were Sam and Tucker, whom the latter whistled to the climax of the show they've watched.

"Man, Danny obliterated Paulina!" Tucker commented. "Didn't know he had it in him."

"Well, I'll be damned," Sam said, trying, and failing to hide her giddy and cathartic expression. "It's about fucking time…"

"What? That Danny figured out how much of a snake Paulina can be, or Paulina getting her just desserts?"

"Both," Sam mused. "It's like everything has come full circle."

Coming out of his stupor, Tucker turned pale and said, "Aw shit, did you hear how pissed Paulina was!? Danny is going to be thoroughly screwed now!"

"Yup, that definitely seems to be the case…" Sam said in a nonchalant tone.

Tucker then glared at his old friend with a look of disapproval, saying, "Sam…!"

"What?" The girl uttered, looking offended at the black kid's accusatory gaze. "Fenton is a big boy, Tucker. He's made this bed, so he's going to have to lie in it!"

"Sam, it's been over a year. Don't you think this whole "you're dead to me" shtick has gone a little too far?" Tucker questioned.

"I'm not taking back what I said!" Sam stubbornly refused. "He's changed, Tucker! Hell, the guy even said it himself! That's not the boy we went through elementary and middle school! Besides, he still hasn't properly apologized!"

"Uh, Sam! It's kind of hard to do that when you're literally making it impossible for him!" Tucker exclaimed, raising his hands over his head. "Danny's spent all of Freshman year trying to make it up to you! Hell, he tried to look for your place to talk, you ran up to him and nearly slapped him with a freaking restraining order! Why do you think he's kept his distance?"

"I-I wasn't ready to see him, okay!? I was still pissed!" Sam said in her defense. "What do you want from me!?"

"To be fair!" Tucker growled. "You got your heartbroken by your crush, I get that! Really, it happens to me, like every other week! But the difference between you and I is that I don't dangle that over a person's head!"

Sam opened her mouth, ready to heatedly argue, but Tucker interrupted her.

"-And, you sending him mixed signals with no hints as to how to fix… whatever the hell we are now, is not helping you in the situation, either." Tucker added.

Sam let out an exasperated sigh while throwing her hands up in frustration, crossing her arms with an angry expression.

Tucker scoffed and said, "Don't get mad at me because you know that I'm right for once. Maybe you should listen to me for once in your life, think about what Mr. and Mrs. Fenton told you, and talk things out Danny while you still can. But hey, what do I know?"

"I'm not talking to him, Tucker!" Sam refused, looking away with a scowl. "He's in the wrong!"

"No, you just expect him to kiss your ass like he's always done until you're satisfied." Tucker boldly claimed, earning him a fierce glare from the beanie-wearing boy, "Yeah, I said it! And that's real low, Sam, even for you. Oh, and when this blows up in your face, don't say that I didn't warn you."

With that, Tucker walked over to his assigned study classroom. Sam, too angry to concentrate on class, decided to skip Study Period to brood in the Goth Club room.

---

Wakeman Residence, Tremorton, PA

Within the Quaker State of Pennsylvania lies the small city of Tremorton. This little settlement was known for its lavish sense of style and its retro yet futuristic architecture.

One notable member of this city and its society was a woman in her fifties. She was currently living in her two-story home and spent most of her days secluded.

The inside of the woman's office was a space that was filled with tools and scattered piles of paperwork. There was also a Gateway 820GM setup, a normal desktop monitor, then a larger computer screen built into the wall for various purposes.

On the main desk was her current batch of paperwork, a round basket filled with ink pens, highlighters, and pencils, a few easers, white out, black permanent markers, and a small dusty picture frame of what seemed to be an old wedding photo.

Sitting at the computer desk was a short pale pale-skinned woman with a characteristic white updo, pointed nose, red lab goggles, black turtleneck, and yellow button-down lab coat with matching heels.

This was Norleen "Nora" Wakeman, an experienced roboticist and scientist.

While typing in silence, her larger computer showed an incoming call. The aging scientist sighed, then accepted the call by clicking on the pick-up icon.

The large computer screen created a large window that showed the image of Dr. Director.

"Dr. Wakeman, good afternoon." Dr. Director greeted over the video call.

"Director Elizabeth Douglass, it's been a long time." Nora stated in an even tone. "Last time I remember seeing you was at your promotion to director of The Network."

"Yes, that was ten years ago, and fifteen years since you retired from the Sky Patrol as its head." Dr. Director stated through the screen.

"And I haven't regretted that decision since." Nora said in a satisfied state before her expression soured. "Though, it does annoy me that my legacy in that sector of Global Justice has been squandered by its current leadership…or lack thereof. At this rate, you might disband it and let those fancy third-party Plumbers handle everything."

"...That, I cannot deny. Believe me, Dr. Wakeman, I do share your frustrations and disappointment but rest assured that Global Justice is currently undergoing significant changes to the infrastructure of the Skyway Patrol for the betterment of the organization." Dr. Director re-assured.

"Great to hear! It's about darn time, too! But as much as I'd like to catch up on my old student, I know that this isn't a mere social call." Nora said, showing a bit of sassy with a small smirk.

"Astute as ever, Doctor," The tan agent stated with a smile of her own before she shifted to her professional side again. "The higher-ups asked about the progress of the latest entity to your Global Response Unit series. They mentioned that this one was modeled after a Synthroid."

Nora straightened her back and responded the same as Elizabeth, stating, "Three months ago, I successfully transferred the experimental AI of Global Response Unit XJ-9 to the newly completed synthetic body I've spent seven years developing. Since then, I've received nothing but positive results in terms of her following her primary directive. In fact, my latest unit had successfully saved the Earth by a green radioactive satellite that was about to enter the planet's atmosphere before it could cause a global panic."

"Ah, I remember that. Our team of meteorologists pinpointed the satellite's origin possibly originating from Saturn's ring." Stated Dr. Director.

Nora snorted, "Well, that checks out."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring XJ-9 to the headquarters, given how much of a success she's been." The brunette commented, causing Nora to noticeably stiffen.

The rigid scientist then explained, "XJ-9's AI has evolved leaps and bounds since 1998. She can think for herself, emote. She can feel, Elizabeth. And now that she's complete and physically functional, the girl has become restless with curiosity."

"Oh? May I ask what she's curious about?"

"What all newly developing life want, to explore the outside world. Namely, to learn about adolescents like herself." Nora Wakeman answered with a bittersweet smile.

"But that runs parallel with the primary directive that you programmed with, correct?" The director of Global Justice inquired over the call.

"Correct. I've deliberately created her with that design in mind." Nora said as her voice trailed off and her eyes averted to her only framed photo over by her work desk, "Indeed I did…"

"...You're scared." Dr. Director stated, a matter of fact.

"...This isn't another one of my ventures to make a statement or to prove myself, Elizabeth." Nora confesses. "XJ-9 is more important to me than my self-importance. She's my…"

"Doctor, there's no need to explain-"

"-No, please just bear with me," Dr. Wakeman implored before confessing her sins in shame. "I've defined the last twenty-five years of my life by my failures. I failed to pursue my original passion, my marriage fell apart, my creation turned against the people it was programmed to serve, and that brought shame onto the organization I founded under Global Justice."

"Regardless of your flaws, ma'am, you are one of the most intelligent people in the world and contributed to the world with your expertise within your field."

"-That didn't help me save my little one from within the womb, Elizabeth," Nora stated in a cold voice, dropping a devastating bombshell to the lead agent.

"...I'm so sorry, Nora." Dr. Director uttered, not talking as a professional but as a woman.

Nora shook her head, then said, "By the time I recognized the inefficiency of XJs 1-8, I realized that my life was spiraling out of control. The only thing that has kept me going all this time was memories of the good old days."

While Betty remained silent, Nora stated, "As you can see, XJ-9 is special to me. I owe it to myself and to mankind to do this right. And now that the weight of her completion has gotten to me, I'm not sure that I'm willing to let her go…"

"...I understand." Dr. Director uttered softly before trying to choose her next words carefully. "Your hardships and regrets are warranted, and for that, I give you my condolences. But it is as you stated earlier, you deliberately created Global Response Unit XJ-9 with the capability to experience and discern human emotions as a means to incite her protection of the planet. By keeping her hidden from the world, it hinders her from reaching her full potential."

"...I know, I know," Nora groaned in self-loathing. "It's counterproductive."

"And like you, her creator, XJ-9 will not be flawless as you want her to be." Said Dr. Director. "She is going to need you now more than ever, Doctor. She will need you to teach her about how the world works. Not based on programs and fundamental information you can fit to a compact disk and run through her, but through actual experience. That includes what it means to succeed, to fail, and to learn from her mistakes. If she never gets the chance to do so, then it would be a detriment to XJ-9, you, and the Earth itself."

Nora leaned back on her chair, lost in thought as a lightbulb metaphorically lit inside her head.

"...You're right." Nora acknowledged. "I made her to be a person, not a mere weapon. She needs to be nurtured, and I'm not giving XJ-9 the full support that she needs. But I just don't know where to start on remedying that problem."

From there, a smirk appeared on Dr. Director's face as she stated, "Hold that thought, ma'am. You didn't hear this from me, but I tipped off the Plumber's Magister of Earth and the head of the Order about a man-made Homo Sapien Apex."

This caught Nora off guard as she asked, "An Alpha Human? Are they Osmosian or do they have an item that grants them access to power?"

"No, Dr. Wakeman. This is neither a Type I nor a Type II Alpha, but a whole new subspecies." Elizabeth clarified.

"Man-made?" Nora inquired.

"Let me explain. A year ago, we found a superpowered being in the form of an adolescent male roughly fourteen years old in a small town in Illinois." Elizabeth explained before sending Nora information to her computer.

When accessing them, Nora was bombarded with footage of Danny Fenton mid-morphing in the streets of Amity Park in broad daylight last year, revealing his classic black HAZMAT suit with a white belt, gloves, boots, and collar as Danny Phantom.

"...Who am I looking at? And what is he?" Dr. Wakeman inquired.

"Ever heard of the Fentons, Dr. Wakeman?" The lead agent of Global Justice questioned.

"...Wait? You're not referring to those yahoos from Amity Park who dress like they're stuck in the nineteen-eighties, are you?" Asked the white-haired woman while groaning in annoyance.

"They are the same, Doctor," Betty answered, remaining outwardly cordial while inwardly giggling. "While parenting two kids, Jacob and Madelyn Fenton managed to construct the first man-made paranormal portal to the Spirit World in their home, scientifically labeled the Ghost Zone. Little did they know, their only son, Daniel, was the one who figured out how to turn it on, causing the ectoplasmic electricity that was used to charge the portal to mutate him into what we are considering to be a Type III Alpha."

"What!? What were those dingbats thinking!?" Nora shouted, voicing her concern. "He shouldn't have survived that! No person would!"

"Under normal circumstances, you'd be right. But this situation yielded a different result." Betty stated while sending her multiple clips of Danny Phantom battling ghosts and saving the lives of his classmates and random strangers in his hometown streets. "Infused with ectoplasm and gifted ghostly abilities, Daniel had taken upon himself to defend Amity Park from the spirits that haunt it as the Phantom of Amity Park, later renamed Danny Phantom."

'...Ghosts exist? No, maybe not how I perceive them to be, but I suppose there is an existence after death after all. That would mean that these ecto entities aren't souls, but the consciousness that persists in a different state of being in another dimension separate from ours." Nora contemplated, feeling a bit more comfortable about another person besides her XJ-9 who was trying to make their home a better place.

"Interesting…" Nora spoke, looking at the Ghost Boy's outings as a hero. "...Then he's not dead or alive."

"It's like he's in a constant state of limbo."

"Liminal." Nora corrected. "He's a liminal being of human origin."

"Ah, that's a better term. I'll have his file updated." Betty verbally noted.

"As interesting as this Daniel Phantom which you speak of, why would you bring him up when regarding my XJ-9?" Nora questioned.

"XJ-9 can think and feel freely of her volition, independent from her programming. Perhaps while teaching her how society works bit by bit, you can take cues from Danny Phantom's life as a basis for how XJ-9 can balance her personal life with her duties to protect the planet." Dr. Director suggested.

"You want me to train her to become a superhero?" Nora inquired, raising an eyebrow.

"...I wouldn't word it in that sense, but that isn't too far off." Elizabeth stated.

"Hmm… I don't know about this," Nora stated with uncertainty and skepticism.

"...Think of it this way, Doctor, XJ-9 would only be examining a fellow peer her age. But that, in combination with her under your guidance, could lead to your desired outcome."

"...I'll need time to give it some thought," Nora said, holding out a hand. "But I'll consider it."

"That's all that I ask, ma'am. Thank you for your time." Dr. Director said before cutting the feed.

Nora sighed, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of her body. She then looked at her monitor and inspected the different videos of Danny Phantom's heroic exploits from 2004 to the most recent events in 2005 and made a note on her PC and in her mind to do more research on the Ghost Boy.

She'll admit that there were unknowns that terrified her. She didn't know if her guidance would lead to an ultimate failure, which she couldn't at her age. But, if it meant she could put her heart into doing right by XJ-9 and the people of Earth to make up for her past sins, she was willing to do anything.

"...Maybe this can work. It's not like I have any other ideas." Nora said before taking hold of her mouse once more.

With a few clicks, she readied her hard drive's internal CD burner program. From there, she took a couple of CDs and underwent the process of burning them with the footage of Danny Phantom's clips and videos provided by Dr. Director.

Once she was done, Nora took the disks and left her office. She walked upstairs and eventually stopped in front of a violet door where XJ-9 resided.

Nora sighed, mentally preparing herself as she brought out her lively and perky personality for her creation's sake. She then knocked on the door and politely spoke through the door.

"XJ-9, are you there?"

"Yes, Mom. Do you need anything?" A feminine voice spoke through the door.

"I'd like to talk to you about something important. Can I come in, Honey?" Nora questioned, holding the disks.

"Sure, the door's unlocked." The voice, identified as XJ-9, responded.

With that, Nora opens the door and enters before closing the door behind her.

---

Fenton Works, Amity Park, IL

"Danny! Are you dressed yet? Mom and Dad are waiting downstairs!" Jazz Fenton questioned while knocking on her younger door.

Jazz wore a lavender sweater, white dress pants, and black Mary Janes while lacking a hair band.

"Hold your horses, Spazz! I'll be out in a minute," Danny spoke through the door.

"Well hurry up! They said an important guest was coming over!" Jazz stated as she walked away, only to pause in front of the stairway before turning back towards Danny's direction. "And I'm not a spazz!"

Danny chuckled to himself in his room as he stood in front of his mirror near his bathroom. He wore a black t-shirt under an open blue-collared button shirt, blue jeans, a traditional silver wristwatch his dad gave him, and blue sneakers.

"...That should do it," Danny uttered to himself, adjusting his collar. "Hopefully, this special guest isn't too nitpicky about formal wear. This is about as formal as I can get without busting out my suit from last year."

"DANNY! COME DOWN HERE, SON!" Jack bellowed from the kitchen. "OUR GUEST WILL ARRIVE HERE ANY SECOND NOW!"

"...And that's my cue!" Danny said before jogging out the door with his ghostly intangibility, then floated down most of the stairs until he landed on one stair before he could be seen, then walked down the rest of them as if nothing happened.

Once he made it to the kitchen, a savory aroma entered the boy's nostrils.

Danny then watched as his mother took out a pot, placed it on the stove, and pulled its lid off to reveal a large, tender, and basted pot roast with carrots, and red potatoes with red and green slices of bell peppers in it.

On the counter top, Jack watched as the rice cooker finished steaming buttery white rice.

"Looks like the Fenton Homemade Rice Cooker has worked its metaphorical magic!" Jack announced as he inspected its contents. "And look at that! Not a drop of ectoplasmic contaminant in sight!"

"That's wonderful, Dear!" Maddie chirped.

Jazz sat on the table with a smile, thinking to herself, '...I guess they are improving after all.'

Danny took a good whiff of the food, and rhetorically asked, "Hey, is that pot roast that I'm smelling?"

"Hi, Sweetie!" Maddie greeted, prompting the other members of the Fenton Family to turn to him.

"Hey! Looking spiffy, Son!" Jack said, complimenting his youngest before noticing the sudden mass and muscles his son was gaining around his. "Well, I'll be! Son, you're as fit as an ox! Have you been hitting the gym?"

Danny shyly rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled, saying, "U-Uh, I guess you can say that…"

"Dad, his friends and I have been working on some exercises for him to get his mind off of stressful things." Jazz explains. "Well, it's mainly myself and Valerie."

"Oh, that's right! You mentioned Valerie Gray before." Maddie recalled. "Wasn't her father working at Axion Labs?"

"Yeah, Mr. Gray not only got his job back after the lawsuit won in his favor but he recently got promoted! So Val's gonna be moving back to the city!" Danny said with excitement.

"Well, that's good for him!" Jack stated in his usual jolly tone. "Say, why don't you bring your new friends over some time? Jazzy-pants told us that one of them was interested in the study of the paranormal."

Jazz saw Danny's questioning gaze, but she gave him a nod, making him trust her judgment as he answered, "...That's not a bad idea. One of them happens to be a fan of yours while the other one is his girlfriend whose father is currently running Axion Labs."

The Fenton couple turned to each other, sharing a glimmer of excitement between themselves

"...A fan?" Maddie and Jack said simultaneously with a full-blown smile on their faces, not listening about Pacifica at all. "Why didn't you say so? They're welcome anytime!"

Jazz and Danny smiled, then gave each other a high five. The four members of the Fenton family paused when they heard the ring of their doorbell.

"Oh, there he is! Kids, help your mother set the table! I'll get our guest seated!" Jack said before heading to answer the front door.

The Fenton siblings went over to the kitchen and began to place plates on the table. Once they were done, they sat and waited.

While sitting down, Jazz and Danny turned their heads to their mother, asking the older redhead, "Who's coming over?"

"Why don't you see for yourselves?" Maddie said with a wink, gesturing to look behind them.

When Maddie said this, Jack came in with Max Tennyson. The man wore a brown trench coat over a black shirt, a brown fedora, and light brown trousers with a black leather belt, and black loafers.

"Good evening." Max Tennyson politely greeted, making his presence known.

"No way!" Danny whispered, having stars in his eyes.

"Dad! Is that who I think it is!?" Jazz said, shocked at the sight of the person who appeared in their kitchen.

"Righteo, Princess!" Jack said with his bright grin never leaving him before turning to the older man. "Mr. Tennyson, these youngins are my kids. The older one is my daughter, Jasmine. The boy is my youngest, Daniel."

"Hello there, children." Max greeted politely, seeing his youngest children in their subconsciously. "It's nice to meet you."

"Likewise, Sir." Jazz said while Danny silently nodded, not trusting his words.

Maddie, wearing her apron, walked over to the man as Jack announced, "And here is my lovely wife and our beautiful chef, Maddie."

Maddie extended her right hand, saying, "It's an honor, Mr. Tennyson."

Max accepted the handshake and said, "Thank you, Mrs. Fenton. I heard you make a mean pot roast."

Maddie giggled and said, "I don't like to brag, but outside of the business, I have knack for cooking."

"Well, I'm looking forward to dinner," Max said as Jack suggested to start dinner.

Maddie took her time serving everybody their plates, starting from her husband, then herself, her kids, then finally, Max. Once she was finished, she joined everybody at the dinner table.

"Thanks for the meal, Mads/Mom!" Three-fourths of the Fentons said before they started eating.

"Oh, it's not a problem," Maddie said, beaming at her family's happy faces once they started to eat her food.

When Max tried the pot roast that the Fenton matriarch had, his face immediately melted in delight.

"Mmm~! This is perfect!" Max complimented. "Just like how Ma made it."

"See, what did I tell you!" Jack said with pride, causing Maddie to blush. "One heck of a cook!"

"Oh, stop it!" Maddie said, liking the attention but remaining bashful.

"Alright, alright. Say, you never guess where he grew up." Jack said.

"Where?" Jazz and Maddie questioned.

"I'm from Hot Springs, Arkansas," Max answered with a smile.

"Isn't that close to your old home, Dad?" Danny innocently questioned.

"That's what I thought! Are families could have been neighbors and we would have never known!" Jack spoke.

Jazz looked at the man's left arm and noticed the inactive Omnitrix in its wrist watch size.

"I've never seen a watch like that before," Jazz told Max, getting the other family members' attention. "Where did you get it?"

"...Oh, this little thing?" Max said, holding out his wrist to display the Omnitrix. "It's a custom model made by a good friend of mine. The design was intended to represent peace."

"Heh, talking about peace and love reminds me of the seventies!" Jack commented reminiscing on his childhood.

"It looks bulky, yet strangely exotic." Maddie said, peering at the Omnitrix. "Can you tell the time on that?"

"It can definitely tell time, but I've been getting so used to these new age cellular phones that I would forget to look at it." Max sheepishly laughed.

Danny looked at the Omnitrix's symbol, and then recalled the photos of the creatures Mason showed him while they bore the same emblem.

'...Am I seeing things, or is it the same as…?' Danny questioned before shaking his head and eating the rest of his food. 'No, my mind's got to play tricks on me.'

"Mr. Tennyson, what was life after finishing the race to the moon?" Jazz questioned.

"Well, after an amazing experience I had taken a big leap for mankind, I had other opportunities that opened to me. At one point, I worked at the Johnson Space Center in Houston Texas, but it wasn't for more than ten years. Then, I was approached by an organization NASA-adjacent that required a person of my experience to help monitor movements in space. So, I spent a couple decades there in that program before retiring in my mid-fifties." Max explained. "Now, I settled for a quieter life as an auto repairman."

"That's respectable," Maddie commented. "When Jack and I were growing up, our parents, being veterans, told us how you started out as the youngest lieutenant within the US Air Force. What was it like back then?"

"Ah, that brings back memories," Max said, closing his eyes. "My commanding officer was a real piece of work, though it was expected of you to fall in line and get the job done. That was regardless if you were in the Navy, Air Force, or on the battlefield in the Army. They should have known that I lied about my age. Then again, I was a rambunctious seventeen-year-old."

"You made lieutenant of the Air Force at seventeen!?" Danny questioned, flabbergasted at the thought.

"Danny, indoor voices!" Maddie scolded, but Max put that at ease.

"It's fine, Mrs. Fenton." Max reassured. "That's a perfectly normal reaction. Shoot, that was my reaction when I was given the promotion."

"I'll tell ya, my Pa was pretty darn proud of ya!" Jack praised. "And when the race to the moon happened and we heard you were at the helm, my father's household knew you'd pull through! And what did we get, three heroes of the American people!"

"I appreciate the flattery, but I'm no hero." Max politely denied, holding out a hand. "The moment I joined the Air Force, I've always seen myself as a soldier. That will never leave me until the day I die."

"Well, we can agree to disagree." Jack said in respect. "There's many people who were impacted by your work and look up to you as someone worth aspiring to be like. And no matter what naysayers try to spin, you'll at least be a hero to us!"

"That's well appreciated," Max accepted.

Somehow, his father's words Danny as he thought about the people he had touched with his actions. Even if it wasn't directed to him, the boy could apply it to himself. This caused Danny to smile, making want to keep being Phantom in spite of the issues that arise from the job.

"Mr. Tennyson," Danny spoke, getting the older man's attention. "What happened to Phillip Billings and Peter Meechum? Are you still in contact with the rest of Apollo 11?"

Max gave a sad smile, stating, "...Phil and I had a falling out, unfortunately. We are no longer on speaking terms. As for Pete, I haven't seen or heard from him since his daughter was born. Life has been busy."

"...Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know." Danny apologized.

"Nonsense," Max said. "Sometimes, friendships or business relationships don't pan out like how you want them to. But life goes on, so you have to carry on with or without them."

"Well said," Maddie and Jazz said.

"Did you ever find yourself a Mrs. Tennyson and settle down, soldier?" Jack questioned.

"Well, not in the traditional sense, but I did father two boys who are doing good for themselves with their own families in Bellwood." Max explained with a proud smile on his face. "And I got three grandkids out of that, so I have nothing to complain about."

Suddenly, flashes of Carl, Gwen, and Ben Tennyson flashed in Danny's mind, but was once again relegated to being that of a mere coincidence.

Max then turned to Jazz and said, "For the looks of it, I believe my eldest grandkid, Ken, is about your age. Maybe a year older."

Max then asked Jack, "So, Jack, what do you and Maddie do for a living?"

"We spent years dedicated our lives to definitively prove the existence of the supernatural!" Jack proudly stated.

"After twenty years of hard work and thanks to our baby boy, we've succeeded." Maddie stated, cooing at Danny, much to the amusement of Jazz and Max and the embarrassment of Danny.

"Right, I've read in a magazine that you build devices to ward off spirits." Max mentioned.

Maddie elaborated, "It first started with our Ghost Portal, but now we mainly produce devices with the goal of battling and capturing ghosts for study."

Danny and Jazz looked at each other with tensed and apprehensive expressions.

Max tilted his and asked, "Study? How so, if I may ask."

"Through dissection, of course! There's rarely any better feelings than to cut open spectral scum after a hard's day of work out in the field!" Jack Fenton said in his jovial voice.

Max could easily sense the uneasiness of the Fentons' children, namly, their youngest, who squirmed.

'Ah, that explains the secrecy. It seems that everything lines up with the information Stanford provided.' Max thought while outwardly frown.

"I see…" Max understood, not wishing to delve further. "Nevertheless, I congratulate the both of you on your work paying off."

"Thank you," Fenton husband and wife stated simultaneously.

Turning to Jazz, Max asked, "What do you see yourself doing in the future, young lady?"

Danny and Jazz visibly relaxed with expressions of relief apparent. They were inwardly praising the guest for stopping their parents from entering their raving tirade about all spirits being evil and their need to either tear them apart or exterminate them.

"Being a liscensed psychologist with my own office. Preferably living somewhere in the Midwest." Jazz easily answered.

"It seems like you figured yourself out quite well. That's good," Max said, praising Jaz before turning to Danny. "Daniel, was it?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Your father told me a little about you. He said you wanted to join my field." Max recalled. "There's an annual gathering of rocket scientists, engineers, and astronomers that NASA sponsors once a year-"

"-You mean the LAUNCH Convention?" Danny questioned. " The showcase of future tech and designs that will be used by NASA? That annual gathering?"

"-Yes, that's correct," Max answered, liking the bright expression of the boy's face with his interest piqued. "This is, the LAUNCH Convention will be held at Middleton, Colorado. One of the rocket scientists that works there is the son of a friend I know. He's a rocket scientist. If you and your parents are interested, I can ask for a favor and invite you there in the place of myself and my grandkids. And who knows, you may be able to meet him."

"Are you serious!? I always wanted to go to the conference!" Danny exclaimed before turning to his parents. "Mom, Dad, can we go there?"

Jack and Maddie looked at each other, wondering what they thought about the idea.

"Middleton is quite the car ride from Amity Park, don't you think, Jack?" Maddie asked, whispering to her husband.

"True, but it's not like we haven't done cross-country road trip before." Jack countered before turning to Max. "Do you think we could split a roundtrip plane ticket if we were to go?"

"Oh, you wouldn't have to worry about that. Plane tickets and hotel rooms would be covered." Max reassured.

"When will the conference take place?" Maddie inquired.

"It's scheduled to be on Saturday, on the fifth of November," Max answered from recollection.

Jack and Maddie looked at each other, nodded, then turned back to their youngest child who eagerly awaited.

"As long as none of your grades drop below a "C", you can go."

"YES!" Danny said, pumping one of his fists in the air.

Max and the Fenton family smiled at the youngest's elated face, with Jack, Maddie, and Jazz recognizing how lively the boy had become. It was here where the three realized that they hadn't seen Danny this happy in years, setting a small dreadful pit in their stomachs.

Especially within Jack and Maddie.

Dinner wrapped up nicely as everybody had a round of fudge brownies for dessert. From there, the family exchanged silly stories about their antics which amused Max. The retired astronaut did the same on top of small stories from back when he enlisted as a pilot in the Air Force.

Once it reached nine o'clock, Max took his leave and said his goodbyes to the Fenton family. Little did the others know, Max had left his Omnitrix to record the conversation which was relayed back to Ford Pines, Hex, and Dr. Director.

To Be Continued…