Chapter 2

The Phantom Virus

The gang made their way into the computer lab along with their friends, Eric and Twilight.

"Wow, you two. This lab is one groovy setup," Daphne beamed.

"Yeah, we like it, too," said Eric.

"Spike! Spike, where are you?" Twilight called out.

She then heard barking down by her feet. She looked down and saw Spike. Spike was a purple puppy dog with green eyes, a green top that looked like hair and green ears. His dog tag had a heart in the middle of it. Like Scooby-Doo, he could also talk.

"Oh, there you are."

She picked him up and carried him over to the computers with Eric. As she did, both Shaggy and Scooby saw tomatoes as big as their heads.

"You don't want to eat those," warned Bill. Scooby and Shaggy asked him why they couldn't do that. "Because their grown in radioactive soil."

Realizing what they had just touched, Scooby and Shaggy frantically tried to get the radiation off by wiping it on to Shaggy's shirt.

"Everyone, this is our lab partner, Bill McLemore," said Eric, introducing Bill.

"Nice to meet you," said Fred, shaking Bill's hand.

"Thanks for keeping Shaggy and Scooby from glowing in the dark," chuckled Velma.

"We'll go to dinner after the tour," said Eric.

"But first, can you show us your new video game?" asked Shaggy. "Scoob, Sunset and I have been dying to play it."

"No one is playing the game until we get rid of our problem," said Professor Kaufman as he walked into the lab.

"Professor Kaufman, I'd like you to meet the mystery gang I based my game on," said Eric.

"Not just any gang, Eric, they're also my friends," said Twilight.

"No kidding?"

"Mmm-hmm. We've been through a lot together since high school."

"Yeah, especially you," teased Spike, referring to Twilight.

"Hush, Spike!" Twilight whispered sharply.

"Ah, the famous Mystery, Inc.," said Professor Kaufman.

"And that's Scooby-Doo," said Shaggy as Scooby looked at himself through various beakers and flasks as if they were funhouse mirrors.

"What a ham," said Spike.

"It looks like you showed up just in time for a mystery," said Professor Kaufman as he cleaned his glasses.

"A mystery?" asked Velma.

"Why? What happened?" asked Fred.

Twilight walked over to the laser and started explaining its purpose.

"This here is a project Eric, Bill and I have been working on," she said. "It's a hyper-energy laser. We've been using it to break down real-world objects and project them into cyberspace. Kind of like a reverse 3D printer."

"Jinkies! You mean you can transport objects from the real world into the computer world?" asked Velma.

"Precisely, young lady," said Professor Kaufman.

"That's fantastic!" beamed Daphne.

Unbeknownst to everyone, the conversation was being listened in on by Officer Wembley from the open door.

"It was until the laser beamed a monster into our world last night," sighed Eric.

"A monster?" said Scooby and Shaggy.

Terrified, Scooby ended up ducking behind one of the computer desks.

"Yes. The laser beamed a computer virus right here into this lab."

"A really freaky looking thing," Bill added.

"He wiped out all the data from our computers by just walking near them."

Terrified of what he was hearing, Spike leapt out of Twilight's arms and hid next to Scooby.

"Oh, my! That sounds scary!" Fluttershy whimpered.

"This virus is also able to control and manipulate electrical objects," said Professor Kaufman.

"But where did it come from?" asked Daphne as she went over to comfort the two dogs.

"Eric's computer game," explained Bill.

"Computer viruses don't just appear," Velma argued. "They have to be created by someone."

"But I didn't create it!" Eric sputtered.

"I'm sure it wasn't Mr. Staufer, here," said Professor Kaufman as he walked over to the destroyed telephone. "But whoever created this virus is in serious trouble. Our civilization today is so dependent on modern technology that this virus is a threat to the entire world."

"Can you show us how this laser works?" asked Fred.

Professor Kaufman turned towards Eric.

"You can show them the demo, but DON'T start the game!"

"Yes, sir," said Eric as he walked over to his computer.

Eric entered a command prompt and the title screen for his video game appeared on the big screen. It featured the gang in their classic attire that they were known for in high school, minus the Rainbooms, that is.

"Like, check it out! We're digital!" laughed Shaggy.

"Yeah. Rigital," laughed Scooby.

"We use the game to extrapolate 3-D data into quantum particles. From there, it's child's play to reintegrate the molecular structure in virtual space," explained Eric.

"Uh, say what, now?" asked Applejack.

"He used the Scooby game as the location in cyberspace to store physical objects," Velma reiterated.

"That's why you're the top smartest student, Velma," said Twilight. "You're going to do great, here."

"I certainly hope so."

"So, you're sure this virus came from your Scooby game?" Rainbow asked Eric.

"Unfortunately, yes," said Eric.

"Well, there's no virus in my baseball game," said Bill as he typed in some commands on his computer. "And it's more entertaining."

Just then, Bill's baseball game that he was working on booted up and started in the ninth inning. Bill was playing as the pitcher. He pitched the ball, and the opposing batter missed, resulting in the first strike.

"Now THIS is a game you can get into."

"You said it, Bill," nodded Rainbow. "I really hope I get a spot on the softball team for the Poltergeists!"

"Only if you get good grades," Twilight said smugly.

"Very funny, Twilight," Rainbow said sarcastically.

"Baseball's okay, but it doesn't have Scooby and me in it," Shaggy said confidently.

"Rhat's right," said Scooby.

"The Scooby game has ten levels," said Eric. "You need to battle monsters or villains while trying to find a box of Scooby Snacks on each level."

He got up from his chair and placed a box of Scooby Snacks on a long, wooden table.

"Okay, Professor," he said to Professor Kaufman, who was at the laser.

After Eric got out of the way, Professor Kaufman pressed a button, which fired the laser at the box of Scooby Snacks. In just a few moments, the box completely disappeared from the real world.

"It disappeared!" gasped Pinkie.

"Not quite, Pinkie. Take a look at the monitor," said Twilight as she typed in a command on her computer.

And just like that, the box of Scooby Snacks materialized on to the large monitor.

"I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my own eyes," said Daphne.

"Like, I don't believe it, either," said Shaggy.

He ran to the table, distraught that neither he or Scooby got one Scooby Snack before the box got transported into cyberspace.

"Eric, Bill and Twilight are sure to win the quarter-million dollar grand prize at the International Science Fair," Professor Kaufman beamed.

"Wow! That's some prize," said Fred.

"Tell me about it," said Twilight. "I'm using some of my share to donate towards medical research."

"Yep. That's Twilight for you. Always thinking about what science can do to help others," said Spike.

"The prize will be a reward for all the talent and hard work on the laser project," said Professor Kaufman.

"We couldn't have done this without you, Professor Kaufman," said Eric. "You should share in the reward, too."

"No, no, no. As a teacher, being able to guide young minds to the full potential is reward enough, Eric."

"Uh, like, speaking of rewards, is it possible to get the Scooby Snacks out of the game?" asked Shaggy.

Eric sat down at his computer and entered the commands that ended up reversing the process of the laser, getting the box of Scooby Snacks back into the real world.

"Groovy!"

"Roh, boy!" Scooby said in excitement.

The two of them ran over to the box and started arguing over it. Sunset facepalmed in embarrassment at her boyfriend's actions. There he was arguing with his best friend, Scooby-Doo over the box of Scooby Snacks once again.

"Is that the way the virus came out of the game, Eric?" asked Fred.

"Yeah, it was pretty scary," said Eric.

"If it's just a computer virus, what harm can it do in the real world?" asked Daphne.

"From what we observed last night, this virus has the potential to steal every computer program in the world!" explained Professor Kaufman.

"And the virus made a telephone come to life, which attacked Eric," added Bill.

"Yeah. I remember having to bandage up his arm afterwards," said Twilight as Eric showed his bandaged-up arm.

They then continued to explain in greater detail what happened last night.

"It kept coming toward us and we couldn't stop it."

"You got that right. I tossed one of the staplers at, but that virus just swatted it away like it was nothing."

"Then I held up a magnetic bar in defense," said Professor Kaufman. "It seemed to have an adverse effect on the virus."

"Yeah, and it seemed like the magnet weakened him. Like Kryptonite to Superman," said Bill.

"And once he was weakened, he ran out the door," said Twilight. "That was the last we saw of him for the rest of the night. But I have a hunch that it won't be the last time we see him."

"Creepy," Daphne shivered.

"Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You're telling me," shivered Fluttershy.

"The security guards checked the campus, but couldn't find him anywhere," said Bill.

"I suspect that he is still in this building somewhere," said Professor Kaufman.

"Still here?" gulped Shaggy and Scooby.

"All right, you two, give me the box. You've had enough arguing for one day," said Sunset as she took the box away from them.

"So, what can we do to help, Eric?" asked Velma.

"Well, if you can lure the Phantom Virus into the lab, I can use the laser to beam him back into cyberspace."

"Oh, great. Like, you want us to be virus bait?" asked Shaggy. "Like, no way, man."

"Shaggy, would you two do it for a Scooby Snack?" Sunset asked, shaking the box.

"Uh-huh," said Scooby.

"Hold on, Scoob. Only ONE Scooby Snack to go chase a phantom?" asked Shaggy. "I don't think so."

"You really are hard to please sometimes, Norvie. How about if I give you both two Scooby Snacks, then? Please?" said Sunset.

Pressured by Scooby, Shaggy eventually relented and struck a deal.

"Go long!" Sunset exclaimed as she tossed four Scooby Snacks from the box.

After they caught the treats, Shaggy told Scooby that the college was so large that they'd probably have a low chance of running into the Phantom Virus, anyways.

"How do we capture the Phantom Virus once we find him?" asked Velma.

Professor Kaufman opened a drawer and got out some magnets like the one he used to incapacitate the virus last night.

"The Phantom Virus is composed of electromagnetic energy," he explained. "Get close enough to him with one of these supermagnets and it will render him helpless."

Scooby took one of the magnets and started towards the door when the pins from the bulletin board immediately attracted towards the magnet. Knowing how sharp pins were, Scooby got out of the way just in time before the pins attached to the magnets.

"Be careful, Scooby. Those are really powerful magnets. I learned that first-hand when the same thing happened to me," said Twilight.

Later that day, the gang decided to split up in order to cover more ground. Pinkie, Sunset and Fluttershy went with Shaggy and Scooby, while Rarity, Applejack, Twilight, and Rainbow went with Fred and the others. Spike, of course, decided to stay behind in Twilight's dorm room, as he was pretty tired.

After they split up, Fred's group went down to the basement to see if they could find the Phantom Virus down there. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched by a silly specter. The specter decided to play a little prank on them while they searched.

"Do we really have to look in the basement?" Daphne cringed.

"We have to search the whole building top to bottom," explained Velma as the specter appeared upside down behind him.

The specter then blew raspberry behind Velma's back, which frightened Daphne.

"Is something wrong?"

"I could've sworn I just saw a ghost behind you. A real one!" said Daphne.

The specter giggled as she quickly ducked out of sight as Velma turned around.

"I don't see anything. Are you sure you saw a ghost? I thought we had established that most of the ghosts we come across are purely fake."

"Yeah, except for the Witch's Ghost."

Fred, meanwhile, was busy searching for the Phantom Virus and managed to uncover an old washing machine next to a couple of old-fashioned computers.

"Wow. This stuff looks like it belongs in the Smithsonian," he said in amazement.

The specter phased through one of the old computers and saw an opportunity to scare Fred.

"BOO!" the specter cried out.

Upon seeing the specter, Fred shrieked out in fear and fell flat on his back. The specter let out a loud giggle upon seeing that the prank was successful. The specter was a transparent female figure, highlighted by a blue tinge. She had short, white hair with a blue streak that was worn in a sideways ponytail. She wore a simple, light blue tattered dress with high heeled white cowgirl boots.

"You should've seen the looks on your faces! Priceless! AHHUHUHIHIHIHIHIHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Very funny, Phantasma," Twilight said sarcastically.

"Aw, come on, Twily, show a little backbone. You know that was a good one!" Phantasma laughed.

"Would someone please tell me what the hay is going on?" asked Applejack.

"Guys, this is Phantasma, or Phanty, for short," said Twilight. "She likes to hang around the school and scare people with her harmless pranks."

The others were utterly shocked. They were looking at a REAL ghost right in front of them.

"They're not much for words, are they?" said Phantasma.

"Don't worry. They're just stunned knowing that you're a REAL ghost, instead of what they're used to."

"You mean those crooks that are giving real monsters a bad name?"

"Errr… yeah. Something like that."

"Fair enough."

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Following you. You know the old places of this facility are fantastic places for me to scare people. HEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"She's just as random as Pinkie," said Rainbow.

"Well, she seems awfully nice, though," Rarity added.

Applejack walked over to Phantasma and decided to introduce herself.

"Excuse me, uh, Phantasma, is it?" said Applejack.

"Yep," said Phantasma.

"I'm Applejack. This here's Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Velma, Daphne, and Fred."

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you. HEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

"Uh, likewise," stammered Daphne.

"There's one thing that I don't get. Why do people insist on keeping this old junk instead of donating it?" asked Rainbow.

"Oh, I don't know," Velma said nonchalantly as she walked over to an old bookshelf. "Some of this old junk could be very valuable."

Velma put down her supermagnet and took a green book off the bookshelf. She then blew the dust off it, which got into the face of the Phantom Virus, who had been following them.

"Jinkies! It's him!"

The virus made a spark of electromagnetic energy appear from his fingertip as he laughed sinisterly.

"Uh-oh," Daphne whimpered.

"Everyone, look out!" Twilight shouted.

Everyone ducked out of the way of the blast just in time. The Phantom Virus then started walking towards them but stopped when he got his foot stuck on Velma's magnet. He pulled his off the magnet and landed with a thud.

"What's the matter, Mr. Virus? Can't handle a good charge?" Phantasma laughed.

She then started making silly faces at the virus until he swatted her away.

The others held up their magnets upon remembering that they were his weakness.

"Get back you… creepy… thingy!" said Daphne.

"Creepy thingy?" asked Fred as Daphne let out a sheepish smile.

Rainbow found the situation so funny that she fell on the floor laughing.

"Rainbow Dash! Honestly!" Rarity scolded. "What did you expect Daphne to say?"

"How about despicable malware?" Twilight suggested dryly.

"You'll pay for this!" the virus hissed.

"We don't think so!" retorted Daphne.

"Thingy!" Fred said jokingly.

Daphne glared at him for teasing her like that. This caused both Velma and Applejack to giggle at Daphne's inability to insult the Phantom Virus properly. As for the virus himself, he limped away as fast as he could out the door with the humans and Phantasma close behind.

The Phantom Virus had proven himself to be a dangerous foe. If the gang thought he was dangerous, they had no idea of the events that aspire very soon.