1/24/25: I won't have much time to write this weekend as my son turns 4 tomorrow and my in-laws are coming to town tonight. I'll have lots to do!
This chapter is what the cover art shows in terms of Danny's outfit and physique (not his face), so I hope you look at it. I'll be changing the cover art again next chapter to show Danny's face and what he looks like in this fic. I was going to change it with this upload, but figured I'd keep it up for this chapter considering it shows the literal outfit he'll be wearing lol.
Just know that from here on out, I won't always announce when Shade takes over. I will at times, but it's getting a bit tiresome. If something that is said by the goth was actually Shade, I'll just say "Shade said" or something like that.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom.
–
Chapter 51: The New Phantom
–
Danny and Sam came out of the study, followed by William and General Hammond. They entered the living room, which was an open concept with the kitchen, meaning Tucker and Jazz spotted them coming.
"Now what?" Danny asked.
"There's some things we need to take care of immediately, so if you could come with us," General Hammond said in a kind manner.
"I'll let your sister know we need to go for a bit," Sam said, but was stopped when Mr. Caulsy spoke up.
"It's a military installation which means you can't come," he said in a snooty sort of way.
The general cleared his throat. "Actually, as a civilian contractor for the United States Marines, she has every right to be there."
The color drained from William's face. "As a what? What did you do?"
The general rolled his eyes. "We'll talk about it outside." He turned to the couple. "I'll give you a moment. Meet us out front."
The two men turned and saw themselves out, a certain congressman chewing the general out. The older man just did not seem to care.
The pair went into the kitchen to find a very anxious Jazz and Tucker. "So?" the dark-skinned man asked, though he had a feeling, from the brief interchange moments ago, that he knew what was going on.
"Guess who is the newest recruit for the United States Marine Corp?" Danny asked sarcastically.
"They didn't give you a choice, did they?" Jazz asked sadly.
"No." Danny shook his head.
"Did they make you join, too?" Tucker asked as his gaze switched to Sam.
She shook her head. "Not directly. I'm a civilian contractor." She went on to explain what happened.
"Wait, that congressman is the one who pressed charges?" Jazz asked, shocked.
"I hate that guy!" Tucker exclaimed.
The goth nodded. "You and I, both. Now, are you guys okay with the twins? We kinda need to go with them for a bit," she asked, thumb pointed behind her towards the door.
"Of course, go," Jazz replied, ushering them out.
Sam took a few minutes to change into her "Shade outfit" as she was beginning to call it: the tight, black crop top, leather pants with chains over the hip, black trench coat with the dragon embroidered on the back, fingerless gloves, and both swords on her hips. She had a feeling Shade was going to rear her ugly head more than once in the coming hours so she left her hair down, the way Shade preferred it.
She stalled on her way out of the bedroom when she heard a deafening racket. She bolted from the room and into the living room in alarm, noting the nervous way Danny was eyeing the ceiling.
"What the hell is that?" Sam asked, placing a reassuring hand on the ghost's arm. He reached up and placed his own hand over hers as if taking comfort from it.
"Uhh, guys," Tucker started, looking out the kitchen window. "There's an Osprey on our front lawn."
"There's a what?" Danny asked, letting go of Sam's hand and opening the front door.
The pair stood there gawking at the MV-22B Osprey that landed on the lawn, the rotors slicing through the air at a frequency that rattled the eardrums.
The general walked up to them while holding his hat. "I thought we'd head over there in style. Besides, the roads aren't too friendly right now," he shouted over the din.
The ghost's chest began to rise and fall as his anxiety shot up. The noise was too much, the vibrations too much. He set his jaw and tried to force it away.
"Let's go." He moved towards the Osprey.
Sam sent a little wave to Jazz and Tucker before following her fiance.
As they approached the aircraft, Danny's sensitive ears picked up a small voice at the front door. He turned around and saw Chase standing there and waving. "Remember, Uncle Danny! You Superman!"
The ghost let out a breathy chuckle that was full of emotion. Such simple words from a small child, but they affected him profoundly. He smiled at his nephew and nodded before turning and getting in the aircraft.
He was handed headphones as Sam got in next to him. William and the general got in and sat across from them. The noise dampened some when the doors closed and Danny got his headphones on, but his enhanced hearing was hindering him here.
The rotors spun even faster as they got ready for flight. Danny closed his eyes, trying his best to drown out the din with his thoughts, but between the noise and the shaking, it was setting him off.
Sam could see his breathing pick up as well as the sheen of sweat on his brow and subtle shaking of his hands. She knew instantly he was going into a panic attack, but they'd already taken off.
"We need to land," she said urgently.
"Land? We just took off-" William started, but Shade cut him off.
"Are you f*ing blind?" she shouted. "Can't you see he's panicking?"
Shade being loose was the last straw and Danny panic-poofed, teleporting away from the Osprey.
"Damnit," she muttered.
"Where did he go?" Mr. Caulsy demanded.
Shade leveled a glare at the man. "Just because someone might be physically recovered from torture, doesn't mean they're mentally recovered. It's too much stimulation to be in the Osprey for him. He's probably going to follow at a distance."
She sighed, Sam coming back to the forefront. "It's going to take some time for him to be okay. A lot of his torture was psychological, not physical. I'm going to warn you now: it might be too early for him to be dealing with this. But I can promise you he'll try his hardest because that's just who he is." Her amethyst eyes bored into the congressman. "That's why I need to be here. I'll keep him grounded as much as I can."
William kept quiet for once, simply watching her.
"You need to remember that while he may be a ghost, ghosts still have thoughts and feelings, just like humans. He's going to react to torture like a human would. Please keep that in mind during the times he might struggle," Sam added softly.
Her calm, pleading tone got through to William and he nodded. "Alright. If he can do his best even when it's hard, I'll try to be more understanding."
He was surprised with a genuine smile from the goth. "Thank you."
The general watched with a small smile. It took a special individual to get through to the congressman. His respect for Samantha Manson grew.
They remained in the air for nearly half an hour, flying to a location outside the city limits of Amity Park. The Osprey landed and the door opened, allowing them to disembark.
They were in a very large open area that held various types of aircraft, including several Osprey, a few large King Stallion heavy transport choppers, a couple Venom's, and at least one Viper–all standard Marine issue helicopters.
Further away on a separate tarmac was a very large C-130 Hercules–a transport plane designed for military cargo and troops–and a small array of Harrier's–a short takeoff and vertical landing jet used primarily for chopper escort.
They headed towards a large group of buildings beyond the tarmac. They looked hastily built, but sturdy enough for the job, and there was enough space to house and operate with an entire battalion.
As they walked away from the aircraft, General Hammond turned to Sam. "Are you sure he followed?"
The goth could feel Danny's signature next to her. "Yup," she responded as Danny materialized.
The general's eyes widened. "That's going to take some getting used to."
"Let me guess: no experience with ghosts?" Danny asked.
George shook his head with a soft smile. "No, and I was a skeptic. I was certainly the last person who would've believed ghost's were real," he responded before glancing at the young ghost. "Until you came along."
"Yeah, well, sorry to disappoint you General, but I'm a hot freaking mess," the young man replied with a self-depreciating look.
"Son, I've seen combat more times than I can count. I know what it's like to lose yourself, and I understand how it feels to be afraid of your own shadow," General Hammond said before pausing in his walk. The rest stopped with him. "Did you know that some of the most beautiful things are created from 'hot messes'?" He held a hand up like he was holding something. "You take some material, along with a little bit of heat, and a little bit of pressure, and you create something new. Essentially, by applying intense pressure and heat, you can fundamentally change the structure and property of materials."
He stepped a little closer to Danny, eyes intense. "We are who we are because of the people around us and the experiences we have, whether they're good or bad. We may lose ourselves for a little while, but if we persevere, we'll come out the other side as the person we're meant to be. Each experience teaches us something new, and an experience like yours tends to be one that's pretty good at teaching us just how strong we are."
Danny stared at the man. "I…I don't know what to say."
The general chuckled. "No need to say anything." He turned and started walking again, the others following suit.
They were headed for a large building situated near the tarmac. When they entered, William broke off without so much as a word, while the general stopped with Danny and Sam.
"As I said earlier, you look like a man who's had military training. May I ask you about that, son?" General Hammond asked.
The ghost shifted his weight before crossing his arms. "I was trained for a little over two years; a few months with hand-to-hand combat and special weapons training, a year of Navy SEAL training, and a year of Marine Raider training, with some Army Ranger training thrown in there."
"Also throw in that you were trained to fight things like military aircraft and tanks single-handedly," Sam chimed in.
Danny tilted his head. "That, too."
"Damn, son. No wonder you're fit as a fiddle," General Hammond said with mirth. "You're more highly trained than most I have under my command. Given your background, this is going to be much easier than I initially thought. For today, you're going to first learn the rules of the military–basically words to live by. There's a certain way we do things in the military, and you'll have to learn how to navigate them." Once he got a nod, he continued. "After that we'll figure out your uniform. Something tells me a local legend like you shouldn't be constrained to Marine camouflage."
"I don't suppose my normal black and white hazmat would work?" the ghost asked.
He heard Sam scoff and looked at her. "That old thing? We can find something better," she grinned with a mischievous glint in her eyes.
Danny turned back to the general. "Well that makes me nervous."
General Hammond chuckled. "I see you've got your hands full with that one."
"You don't know the half of it."
"Now, Mr. Phantom, if you go down this hall here," the general indicated with his arm a hallway to their left, "and take a right at the end, there will be a door on the left that says "Conference Room B". Go in there and they'll give you the basics on military life. I'll go over more of the specifics of Ms. Manson's contract with her in the meantime."
The ghost nodded before giving his fiance a quick peck on the cheek and heading off down the hallway.
"If you'll follow me, Ms. Manson," the general said, heading for a small room through a doorway not far from them.
They entered and Sam sat down, the general closing the door and then taking a seat as well. "I'm sorry, I should've asked this at your house, but before we get started, is there anything that could possibly prevent you from fulfilling the requirements of your contract?" he asked.
"Uhh…" she blushed. "I should've mentioned I'm pregnant."
He stared blankly at her. "I'm sorry, you're what?"
"Yeah, I'm about seven weeks along."
He blinked. "Did you know you were pregnant when you assaulted their base at the mine?"
"I did," she answered plainly.
The general looked at her like she was nuts. "Ms. Manson, I cannot ask you to be a consultant for the military in the capacity that the contract outlines."
"I read the contract and I signed it anyway. The decision is mine," she stated firmly, crossing her arms.
"But–"
"Do you want to protect me like you said?" She asked suddenly, interrupting him.
"Of course, but–"
"Then with all due respect, sir, we're keeping the contract, because I will be out there with Danny regardless of whether or not there is one."
The general was silent for several long moments. It was obvious he did not like this information. Finally, he sighed heavily. "He really does have his hands full, doesn't he?"
She smirked.
–
Danny finished his impromptu military basics class and was headed back towards where he'd last left the general and Sam. He was concentrating on a piece of paper that listed ranks and what their badges looked like. He needed to memorize the officer ranks in order to properly salute them when he came across them.
He looked up and paused when the area was empty. Suddenly, a door opened and he spotted the general beckoning him. "I had a feeling you'd be done right around now," General Hammond commented.
Danny entered the room and saluted. The general chuckled, going back to his seat. "I see you learned a few things. At ease, Captain."
"Captain?" Sam asked, looking between the men as they both sat down.
"It's his rank. He's an O-3, the third officer rank, otherwise known as Captain," General Hammond explained.
"Fancy," she said, grinning at her fiance.
"What happens now, sir?" Danny asked.
"Now, we get you outfitted. I took the liberty of choosing a wardrobe for you to select from. You can take a look and pick and choose what you like," the general said before getting back up. "If you'll follow me."
The pair stood and followed the shorter man out of the room and down the hall. "Are you sure you don't want me in a Marine uniform?" Danny asked, curious.
"Son, we're asking so damn much of you that I fought to give you this. You deserve at least something to be your choice."
"Thank you, sir," Danny replied softly.
He led them to a room that had several open wardrobes full of various kinds of clothes in various colors and styles. There was a small booth setup for him to change. The ghost looked around, completely lost. "Oh man…"
"You alright, son?" the general asked curiously.
Danny chuckled. "It's just hard when you're a person who wears mostly the same thing."
Sam patted him on the shoulder. "Almost everything he wears is blue jeans and white t-shirts," she added, going over to the clothes and perusing.
"Well, jeans are not recommended for this line of work," General Hammond answered. "But I think you'll find the cargo pants to be a good all-around fit for fighting without snagging and carrying a lot of items."
Danny made a face like he was unsure and glanced at his fiance. "You sure I can't just wear the hazmat? It is easily recognizable by the citizens."
The grin she gave him was a mix of Sam and Shade and he shifted back away from her. "I'm screwed aren't I?" he commented.
The general chuckled. "Picked yourself a fierce woman."
Danny found himself groaning, especially as Sam's eyes lit up when she found the wardrobe full of black clothes.
"Don't worry, I'll keep it tasteful," she said, pulling a black t-shirt from the rack. She held it up to Danny and nodded approvingly before hanging it up over the door of the changing booth. She then looked at the pants, rejecting several outright before giving a few different ones a good lookover. She held two up to Danny but shook her head.
He raised a brow at her, but she ignored him. Finally, the last pair she pulled made her smile. She held it up to Danny and nodded again, hanging them up over the door as well.
She then combed through the belts and picked a tasteful black one that, while fairly plain, would tie the outfit together. Next she looked at some boots, selecting a pair that was heavy and reinforced, but not cumbersome, and of course, black.
Finally she spotted some jackets, coats, and cloaks. She pulled a cloak out and gave the general a puzzled look.
The man shrugged. "I don't know what superhero's wear these days."
Danny's cheeks tinged green. "Trust me, I'm not a superhero."
The goth put the cloak back before turning on Danny and giving him a light glare. "Really, Danny? Chase says you're Superman. Are you going to disappoint your nephew by saying he's lying?"
The ghost deflated some.
"If your nephew says you're Superman, you're Superman," she reiterated, going back to the coats.
Danny sighed and crossed his arms. "Superheroes don't kill people."
Sam shrugged. "Many of the Marvel ones do."
But he shook his head. "That just makes them vigilantes. Real heroes don't kill."
The goth sighed heavily, turning back around and leveling a look at him that was a mix of annoyance and sympathy. "I get your point, but this is the real world, and sometimes you need to make the decisions that protect the most people, even if that means taking someone's life. You know this–you literally preached it when the Headmaster was after you. This is now a war–a full scale, military-backed war. People are going to die."
Danny straightened up as if he was facing a challenger, but his look remained sad. "I'm not saying I won't kill; some people need to die. I'm just saying that means I'm not a hero."
Sam shook her head at him sadly and turned back to the coats. She looked through them one by one, discarding most of them. Then her eyes landed on a beautiful long black trench coat. She immediately pulled it and turned to Danny.
He shook his head. "The trench coat is your thing, not mine," he reasoned.
"Our cores are literally attuned to each other. Wouldn't it be badass to dress kind of like a matching pair?" she asked.
Her fiance rolled his eyes. "Since when are you the 'matchy-matchy' type?"
She gave him her best doe eyes. "Please?"
The goth could see his eye twitching as he averted his gaze. "It's not even practical in a fight," he argued weakly.
"I fight in one all the time and I look damn good doing it, too," Shade answered.
When he glanced at her again she switched back to the doe eyes. "Arg!" he growled, grabbing the trench coat before disappearing into the changing booth. He pointedly ignored Sam's triumphant shout and the general's chuckle.
They waited a few moments for him to change, the older man and goth having a short, but amicable conversation. Sam found herself wishing she'd had a parental figure like General Hammond. He was easy to talk to, had a soothing voice, and, despite his rank, seemed to be a fairly gentle soul.
Finally, Danny emerged and Sam could not keep her mouth shut; in fact, she was pretty sure it hit the floor.
The outfit fit him like a glove and made his bright eyes and stark white hair stand out. The black t-shirt was tucked in and tight across his chest and stomach, showing every line and curve of his muscles. The cargo pants hugged in him all the right places, while staying loose enough for free movement. The trench coat completed the look, in Sam's opinion. The leather sleeves came down to his wrists and the front was open, the collar laying flat.
"Ah, to be young and fit again," General Hammond commented with a chuckle.
Sam simply swallowed the lump in her throat, desperately trying to tune out all the raunchy and explicit comments Shade was screaming in her head. Her own thoughts were bad enough, but Shade's were…well she had a vivid imagination.
Finally, she cleared her throat. "Yeah, that works." She winced when she squeaked that out.
"That's it, I'm changing," the ghost said, turning to go back to the booth.
Sam grabbed his hand to stop him. "No, please, it's perfect! It's good, really good."
He raised a brow at her. "Are you going to be able to concentrate on a fight?"
This time she rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm not a school girl."
'But we can dress up as one in the bedroom if he wears that.'
'Shut it, Shade!"
Her darker half's response was a giggle.
Danny stared at her for a while, his jaw working. Finally, he glanced at the general. "Does this outfit work, sir?"
The general nodded with a smile. "It'll do just fine."
–
Not long after they were released to go back home with orders to return the next day for a sitrep. Sam had absolutely pleaded with Danny not to change yet but he'd refused to go home wearing it.
So they were now flying home under invisibility so they could get a better look at the town, Sam sulking beside him.
It didn't look good. The streets were nearly barren, the only people out and about being the ones who had to in order to get to work, home or school. The inhabitants looked frightened, defeated, and helpless.
The pair saw a few places where citizens were lined up for food. Each household had been given 'coupons' they could redeem for a certain amount of food. It didn't matter if you were a single person, or a whole family, the coupons did not afford enough food. Water was also being rationed, the taps only being turned on for a limited amount of time each day.
Vehicles and houses were subject to search at any time. Half ghost's patrolled the streets and would beat people for literally any reason, often leaving them in gutters to die. Any minor infraction either got you transformed into a half ghost and brainwashed by Mira, or you were hung from the streetlights as an example.
Danny swallowed hard, feeling the emotions grip him tightly. His town–his people–were suffering. He wanted nothing more than to descend right then and help who he could, but he knew he couldn't do that.
Sam watched the emotions play out on the ghost's face, pain being foremost. "Are you okay?"
"I've failed. I was supposed to protect them, and I failed," he said softly.
"You couldn't help them the way you were; you needed time," she responded.
She saw his look change to anger, glowing green eyes and scar flaring. "And how many lives did they snuff out while I needed time?" he asked sardonically.
"Hey," she started. "You need to be in a mental state that's able to help them. It's not your fault you were tortured. If you're gonna be pissed off at anyone, it should be Mira, not yourself."
He sighed, wanting to argue, but dropping it for now.
A short time later they made it back to the house. They simply phased through the ceiling, startling all but Vlad who had felt them coming.
They were immediately bombarded with questions. After the day they'd had and the emotions running through Danny after seeing the city, he couldn't take it and teleported away.
Sam sighed, being left to answer all the questions. She couldn't blame him, though.
"Is he gonna panic-poof all the time now?" Tucker asked, full of concern.
"It's been a long day," the goth responded tiredly.
"So what happened? Most of us weren't up when you left this morning," Jack asked.
The goth went over to Maddie and took Jackson, bouncing him on her hip. "The short version is I'm now a civilian contractor for the military and Danny is a Captain in the United States Marine Corp."
There was stunned silence for several moments before Dash blurted, "What the f*? They actually made him join the military?"
"Yes, they actually made him join the military," she replied as she went to sit on the couch. Jackson was trying very hard to yank her hair.
"A Captain, though. Isn't that kinda high up?" Jazz asked as she fed Se-ri.
Sam nodded. "I think so. He's an officer–an O-3 I think the general said."
"So, what happens now?" Vlad asked.
The goth resituated Jackson in her lap and pulled her hair behind her shoulders to keep his hands away from it. "We have to go back tomorrow for a sitrep, whatever that is. And then we get our first assignments."
"Situation Report," Tucker supplied. "They'll let you know exactly what's going on around the city and the plans."
"Thanks," she responded before sighing. "General Hammond is a good guy, and I know he's going to fight hard for us to see the twins, but…we're going to get really busy very soon."
Maddie, who was sitting next to her, rubbed her back. "You know we've got your back."
"I know, and thank you," Sam started, eyes watering. "I just…I feel like we're missing their lives."
"Then you'll just have to end this war as soon as possible," Bruce said kindly.
"We'll see."
–
1/27/25: I lost my cushion again. I posted chapter 50 last night and have only finished chapter 51 now. It should come back this week. I tend to fall a little behind on the weekends because I can write much more during the week.
Our group isn't really affected by what's going on in the city. Not only are they on the edge of the city and protected under their shield, but Vlad has the ability to easily just teleport to another town and get food and stuff.
And now our hero's journey with the military begins. Man, I have so much research to do…