Chapter 12: The Youngblood Effect

"This is odd." Tucker tapped away on his PDA. "There was an error message and now my tracking app says its back at Fenton Works."

Dani was balancing on a wall while walking beside the techno geek. "Weird. Should we call Sam and Jazz in case they haven't left for the Ghost Zone yet?"

"No, if they hadn't left already then they would've called saying Danny was back."

The female halfa hopped off the wall. "Well let's go see Danny!"

The teens had already on their way to Fenton Works to use the ops center to quickly get to Danny's location so they were rushing through the front door within minutes. Immediately Dani's ghost sense went off, but it seemed different somehow. She didn't think much of it. "You check Danny's room and I'll check the lab." The two nodded and split up.

Dani made her way from the living room to the kitchen and was saddened by all the broken furniture and burn marks still present throughout her cousins' home. Her ghost sense went off again but it still felt off. Deciding not to brush it off this time Dani transformed before going invisible and intangible before sinking through the floor to the basement.

She was confused at the scene before her. A bunny taller than Jack Fenton was having trouble navigating the basement lab, bumping into almost everything. A man wearing all red with salt and pepper hair frowning at the disarray the lab was in. A teenager with pure white hair and no shoes was sitting on a staff looking at the Fenton Ghost Catcher.

One thing the female halfa noticed was the red man was holding the Boo-marang. "Well that explains why Tucker's PDA said the Boo-marang was back at Fenton Works. Maybe if I get closer I can figure out why these ghosts are here..." Floating closer to the ghosts, Dani listened intently to their conversation.

"There are so many dangers in this laboratory! How could someone raise a child near this!" The red clad man gestured to a beaker overturned and dripping an unknown substance onto the counter and floor.

The giant bunny finally got free from all the narrow passageways that were the counters and larger inventions and stood beside the white haired teen. "I'd be more concerned about that giant door at the back of the basement, mate."

"What door?"

"Jack you've been staring at that dream catcher since we got here."

"Oh..."

"It doesn't seem like anyone's home at the moment so I suggest we head back to the workshop and try to figure out what happened to the boy that looked like you."

Not wanting the ghosts to get away, Dani decided to make her presence known. Creating a ball of ectoplasm, she dropped her invisibility. "Who are you and what are you doing down here?" Dani was somewhat proud of herself for using her ghostly intimidation voice without a voice crack. By the "ghosts"' reactions, it was effective. The white haired teen looked nervous, the giant bunny was reaching behind his back, and the red suit man was reaching for swords attached to his hips. "I won't ask again!"

Before they could say anything, the door separating the basement from the rest of the house opened up and a familiar looking techno geek could be seen coming down. "Danny wasn't upstairs and my PDA says the Boo-marang is down here. Did you find him down here?" Finally making his way to the bottom of the stairs he gives the female halfa a confused look. "What are you doing?"

Dani quickly glanced at her friend. "Intimidation."

"On whom?..."

"The three weirdos that broke into the lab. One of them is a giant bunny for Clockwork's sake!"

Tucker looked at the mess of a lab and back to the female halfa. "I think if there was a giant bunny in here it would be very obvious."

"Do you think he'd freak out if he really could see you, kangaroo?"

"I'm not answering that."

Dani glared at the three 'ghosts'. "Quiet!"

"Wow she's bossy..."

"No I'm not!"

Tucker thought back to what Danny had said happened on his last family road trip. Young Blood was messing with him the entire time and kept getting him into trouble until he'd managed to get Jazz to see him too. "You said one was a giant bunny, what do the others look like?"

The tween girl landed softly on the ground and dissipated her ecto-ball. "Are you saying you believe me?"

"I'm not sure yet."

"The bunny is self explanatory-"

"-Oi!"

"-but the other two look more normal, even for ghosts. They almost look human if not for the faint ethereal glow. The one over near the Fenton Ghost Catcher looks a lot like Danny if he were a hillbilly-"

"-I'm not-"

"-and a tall man with the same build as Jack Fenton dressed completely in red. Can you see them now?"

Tucker stared at the spots Dani pointed at, but he still didn't see anything. "No but maybe they're like Youngblood and there's certain conditions on who can see them."

The one Dani heard being called Jack spoke up. "Who's Youngblood and-" he pointed at the Boo-marang," -why did that thing hit me?"

"Are you a clone!? Danny destroyed all of Vlad's stuff! He shouldn't be capable of creating more!"

Tucker was quick to the young girl's side trying to comfort her. "Dani its okay, there's no way for him to be a clone. You were there, all the machinery was destroyed. The only logical explanation is that he was close to Danny long enough for his ecto-signature to rub off. Sam and I have been hit by it a couple times, Jazz too, but Sam'll deny it if you ask her." He turned in the direction he thought the other "ghosts" were. "I don't exactly know where you are or who you are but if you aren't here to attack us then at least explain why you're here."

The other occupants of the lab were conflicted, not even fifteen minutes ago this kid was floating and threatening them with a ball of green energy and now she was sobbing on the dirty floor. Sure she made the first move but this was still a kid, were they really going to draw their weapons on a kid?

Bunny cleared his throat. "We're sorry for how we acted before. I'm assuming with the conversation you and glasses were having before and that you know who lives here, you think we're ghosts but we aren't."

Dani calmed down enough to give the three a confused look. "What do you mean you aren't ghosts?"

North spoke up this time. "I recognize your friend. Tucker Anthony Foley, current age is fourteen. When he was six he asked me to replace his mom's favorite dinner plates because he broke them by accident wanting to show his dad he was big enough to help bring out their Christmas decorations."

"The guy dressed in red said your full name and that when you were six you asked him to replace your mom's dinner plates because you broke the original."

Tucker's eyes widened. "The only person I told about it was Santa Clause!" He turned to the same spot Dani had been speaking to, hoping that they were still right there. "Is that who you are? And the giant bunny is the Easter Bunny?"

"He's smarter than he looks."

Tucker could've sworn he'd heard something. "What?"

Jack was in front of Tucker within seconds. "I think he heard you, Kangaroo. Can you hear me too?"

Tucker shivered, "Why am I cold all of a sudden? They didn't phase through me did they?"

"I think that means young Tucker is starting to believe in us again."

"Why would he need to believe in you to see you? I've never heard of any of you before and I can see you."

That got the three guardians attention. How had this kid gone her entire life not knowing about them or any other childhood legends? "You don't know who we are?"