CHAPTER 14: INVADERS FROM IRK, PART 7
Helga Pataki is an addict.
Never given her proper care and attention as a child, she was forced to seek out other means to fulfill her needs, and they had come to her in the form of a kindly boy named Arnold Shortman. Given her first taste of the boy gave her a taste of what she craved, she became addicted to him.
This addiction followed her all throughout life, thinking of him at every turn and pursuing him to get her fix of him. Every sight of him is yet another hit that feeds her needs, masked behind a shell of anger and abrasiveness used to ensure no one would ever know of her one weakness. Many times has she gotten close, even stealing a kiss and making a confession of her love, only to take it back and hide once again.
After 12 years of pursuit, she finally had her prize when she made him hers, sharing their first genuine kiss in the city of the Green-Eyed People.
Then, he left in an angry state of turmoil that left her without her fix.
Still she remained addicted, waiting for her drug to return to her, slavishly waiting, feeling her body weaken from her dependence on him. She was given the parental love she loved at last from Miles and Stella Shortman, the ones who brought her drug into the world, but it still was not enough to give her the fix she needed.
Until he returned, and fell into her arms in love and devotion yet again, giving her what she craved.
With a steady dose of her drug and diet of support to go along with it, the drug that once served as nothing more than a pacifier to her mind soon became medicine, used properly and given in a way that allowed her to heal. And heal she did, soon making her way to becoming a whole and healthy young woman...
...but the damage that was done in her childhood remained long enough to fester into adulthood, making her unable to finish her therapy well. This obstacle, combined with the trials and tribulations that Arnold was put through, put them both to their worst, straining their relationship to its absolute breaking point.
Until it finally broke, leaving her alone and without her fix again.
Fooled not once, but twice on the drug of Arnold Shortman, she knows better than to return to him again. But this has not stopped her body or mind from their dependency on him, leaving the void in her heart waiting to be filled by something else that could give her what her soul needed.
What she found was not something ethereal, but something physical:
Heroin.
Everyday, she has let this substance enter her body, inserting needles into her arm and injecting it, letting the chemicals soothe her brain and provide her with a temporary state of euphoria to ease her pain. In taking in this new drug, she is giving her heart and soul the unhealthy filling to the craving that it had...
...and all the while, her body continues to grow weaker and sicker.
Looking at her arm, Helga saw black-purple spots begin to show in the skin, showing her first signs of this sickness with track marks.
"Shit." Helga mumbled.
The track marks were not large, merely looking like small welts, but were arranged in a way that made it obvious that she was a heroin user.
Being the younger sister and housemate of a member of congress, this would mean not only an outcome negative and unwanted with Olga's discovery of her habit, but also greater implications for her job, making it necessary for her to think of a way to begin concealing the track marks.
The plans to prevent this knowledge to Olga soon became harder as a knock on the door to her room was heard, made by her sister.
"Helga? Baby sister?" Olga asked.
"Uh, one second!" Helga called.
Looking about her room, Helga searched for quick means to hide the track marks, finding an easy solution with the use of a jacket, finding it laying on the floor in a messy manner. Taking the jacket off the floor, Helga put it on, ensuring the sleeves were rolled down, finally opening the door to Olga's call in a tired manner.
"Hey." Helga greeted.
"Hey. Are you wearing a jacket indoors?" Olga asked.
"Yeah. I'm a little cold."
"Oh, I can turn up the heat if you like."
"No, I'm fine. Don't worry about it."
"It's no bother, I was a little cold myself-"
"Olga, please. Being nice, I appreciate. Being babied, I don't. All I need is the jacket."
"Okay, if you say so. I'm sorry."
"What's up?"
"Oh, I'm having another dinner with the governor. I was coming to tell you to get dressed."
"Why? You expect me to go to that crap?"
"Well, I thought it might be good for you to get out of the house a little. You'll get to meet some of the people I work with."
"If I want to hang out with a bunch of environmentalists and uppity college kids, I'll go to the farmer's market."
"Oh, come on, Helga, they're not that annoying. Well... Okay, they're a little full of themselves sometimes, but they do mean well, and they fight for things that matter. It might be good for you to meet people who are really passionate about things."
"I'm not interested."
"You got something better to do than stay in bed all day?"
"Yeah, watch some TV."
"Helga. There's free food, you know."
"I can order takeout."
"Helga. Please, I can't have you just spend all day in the house like this. It's not healthy. Can you just please do this for me? I don't think I'm asking a lot of you."
"A little more than you think. But, if you so insist... I guess I'll just go for the free food."
The answer brought Olga a slight degree of joy, displaying it in an attempt to rub it off on Helga.
"That's my baby sister. I'm getting ready to leave in 10 minutes, so, be ready soon, okay?" Olga asked.
"Stop calling me 'baby sister' and you got a deal, sister." Helga snarked.
Letting out a dismissive chuckle, Olga walked off to prepare herself for departure, leaving Helga to close the door. Left with a limited timeframe to see to her track marks, Helga looked about her room, trying to find a solution to her problem. The jacket provided a temporary cover, but not one that she could rely on, making her look about her room to find something else.
Glancing at her dresser, another idea came to her, and she acted on it with haste.
Helga moved to her dresser, taking out containers of makeup, picking out a bottle that resembled her own skin tone. Opening up the container, Helga took a brush and began covering over the track marks, concealing them from sight as not to let Olga know of her drug use.
The idea worked, bringing Helga delight as she made a victorious grunt as the first track mark she brushed over was hidden away and out of sight. With one of many track marks needing to be covered up, Helga took the brush and dabbed more makeup on it, taking to her arm to continue covering up the marks.
Perhaps this tactic will become more of a habit than her usage of the drug itself, and used to ensure that no one else knows of her addiction, maybe even convince herself that it does not exist. For now, the addiction is still present, and has only been hidden for a short time longer, causing more problems than it solved.
But still does her body need its fix, and lies serve her no good.
The search continues for heroes to fight against the incoming Irken invasion.
So far, only one of their stops for recruitment has led to success, and the following two have resulted in failures. This leaves the chances of defeating the incoming Irken invasion growing slimmer and every potential loss threatens to make it even slimmer.
This makes any further failure not an option.
The next stop they have made is in a town in Illinois named Amity Park, where the subject they are in search of currently rests at home, partially at work on the comic series Danny Phantom: The Living Ghost. He has already worked on the final draft of the script for the latest issue...
...and, in the office of his parents' home, he has printed it out and handed it off to the artist of the series, allowing her the chance to sketch out the artwork behind it. Both have spent a considerable amount of time writing it together, both coming up with the plots, with ideas for dialogue and fight scenes being coordinated with contributions from both of them.
The writer is a young man named Danny Fenton.
The artist is a young woman named Sam Manson.
A well-known fact about the two is that they are not only a collaborative comic creator team, but they are also in a relationship together. What was once a known fact is that the adventures they write about were once reality, and they once fought the spectral remains of the dead as a team. A deal was made, and no longer is this fact known by anyone else in the world, save for two.
One is me, and the other is Vlad Plasmius.
Danny Fenton and Sam Manson are not aware of this fact, unaware of their past life and the adventures shared in it, save for what they can recall to turn into pulp fiction. It has brought them both fame and fortune to be able to tell their stories in a visual medium, but it also leaves something unfulfilled in their soul.
Unable to live out the lives they once did, both have an emptiness inside them, and it eats away at them daily, all to their detriment and ignorance.
"Here you go, Sam. Yet another banger of a comic for you to draw out for me. Just make sure you get the hair right this time." Danny joked.
"Oh, ha-ha. Is having a comic modeled after yourself adding to that ego of yours now? You're lucky you're photogenic enough to look good as a superhero." Sam joked.
"Hey, if Howard Chaykin can do it, why not me? At least I don't do it with every character I write."
"No, just the one character you write."
The two shared a chuckle at the joke, but the silence that followed brought about a thoughtfulness that made their humorous moment seem to be miles away. For years have they had the thoughts they had, but neither have fully had an understanding of why they think the way they do, or how to resolve the feelings.
Danny is the one who chooses to think about them more, and seek a better solution, starting by talking with Sam.
"Hey, Sam. You ever been wondering like... there's something missing?" Danny asked.
The question as asked by Danny gave Sam a clearer insight to the reasons why she does what she does, and also confronted her to be honest with herself.
"Sometimes I do. Where'd this question come from?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. I just... feel this way sometimes. I don't really know why. Jazz says it's just part of growing up, but I'm already grown up." Danny said.
"Of course she would say that, she babies you a lot."
"She cares about me."
"She also makes you take those pills that keep zonking you out half the time. You can barely get hard when you take one of those."
The remark made about Danny's sexual functions made him turn sour and uncomfortable, engaging in conversation with disdain.
"Is that really all you think about?" Danny asked.
"Excuse me?" Sam asked.
"You heard me. You're always trying to get me in the sack, and throw other people in the mix, too."
"Last I checked, that's not something a lot of guys complain about."
"Well, I am. Why do you always involve me in it?"
"Because I'm your girlfriend, and you're my boyfriend. Usually boyfriends and girlfriends are supposed to have sex together. You know, that's kind of the point."
"With each other, yeah, not with other people involved."
"Why not? We're rock stars, Danny. We might as well live like we are."
"I don't want to be a rock star. I don't even like the spotlight all that much. I just want... Ah, I don't know what I really want. That's the point. But I know that I don't want that. I just feel gross and dirty afterward."
Danny's confession made Sam's conscience grow heavy; seeing him react negatively drove her to drop her carefree attitude to be more sincere.
"Shit, well, I'm sorry, Danny. I thought you'd like to have some fun while we're both young. I'm not trying to make you feel like that." Sam said.
"No, you don't seem to think about much except for what you want, do you?" Danny asked.
"No, I don't! I just... Look. Maybe... Maybe I have my own way of dealing with feeling like something's missing. I like taking risks and getting into messy situations. I feel like I've always supposed to have been doing something like that, but... it doesn't fit right. Like, it's not exactly what I'm looking for."
"Then why do you still do it?"
"Because it's as close as I can get. And maybe I need to experiment to find it out."
"Sure you're still not just thinking about what you want?"
"I'm thinking about you, too, Danny. That's why I have you with me on that journey."
Taking a seat in a nearby office chair, Sam rolled her own chair up to Danny while he sat in his, attempting to present herself in a more sincere manner.
"I know you're looking for something, too, Danny. I knew that for a long, long time. Back when everything first happened." Sam said.
"When what happened?" Danny asked.
"You know what I mean."
Danny does indeed understand the unspoken factor in the equation, and he knows how it has affected the lives of everyone he has known ever since.
"Yeah. I do. But I don't like to think about it." Danny said.
"Maybe you should. It might help you get through it." Sam said.
"Maybe you should talk more instead of trying to drown out everything with sex and drugs."
Forced to confront her own dangerous habits, Sam's sincerity once again turned to hostility, rolling herself back in her chair.
"Sometimes it helps if I drown it out. I don't like to think about things like that all the time. I have enough problems in my life, especially with the rest of my family bearing down on me. It's the one little escape I get from my problems." Sam said.
"You said yourself that it doesn't fit. You're still willing to do something that doesn't work?" Danny asked.
"It's all I got. Nothing else I have comes close."
"And all you have to do to get it is drag me along with you."
Unable to stomach the fight any longer, Sam stood up from her chair, taking the finished script with her.
"I thought it was you who wanted to share life with me when you first kissed me. When you confessed that you actually love me. Did you not mean that when you said it?" Sam asked.
"Maybe... I'm not sure who you are anymore." Danny said.
With a sigh, Sam shook her head, taking a glace to the door before embarking on her trip towards it.
"I'm gonna go home and work on this. You... You just do whatever you want." Sam said.
"Sure I will. I'm a grown-ass man. I can do anything I want without your permission." Danny said.
Walking out the door to the office, Sam moved down the stairs, putting a cigarette in her mouth and lighting it as she prepared to make her exit. As Danny left her to leave by herself, guilt settled into his mind, prompting him to get up from his chair and run to the stairs, catching up to her.
"Look, Sam, I'm sorry, I- Wait, are you smoking in the house?" Danny asked.
Taking a deep inhale of her coffin nail, Sam let out a breath of cigarette smoke, confirming Danny's question before she could do so with words.
"Yeah. I need my smokes. Keeps me off the edge." Sam answered.
"Don't do it in the house. My parents and Jazz are gonna say something." Danny said.
"So what? You're a grown-ass man who can do whatever you want. So what if they think you smoke? It's not a big deal."
"That's not what... Forget it. I was trying to say I was sorry. Maybe I'm just a little off in between the meds and the therapy. I know Jazz is trying to set me straight, but, like you said, it doesn't fit right."
"Then why don't you just stand up to her and say you don't want it?"
"Because it's the closest thing I have, just like you said. And I do believe I can actually get a little better if I just hold on."
Sympathetic to Danny's dilemma, Sam approached him again and kissed him, leaving an unwanted taste of tobacco in his mouth, but an act of forgiveness on it.
"Maybe I will, too. But I'm trying to help you, too, you know. Your sister's focused on the scientific stuff, but the important stuff." Sam said.
"And that is?" Danny asked.
Sam responded by pointing at Danny's head, playfully poking it.
"What's in here. The mind. The spirit. The ghost." Sam said.
"Now you're getting religious on me?" Danny asked.
"Nope. I didn't even attend my own Bat Mitzvah. But there's a little bit of truth in everything. And in a world where nothing really makes sense and you don't know the truth, the only real people you can trust are crazy and wasted people, because they always tell the truth."
"Oh, so you think I'm crazy?"
"No. I'm saying you should trust yourself more. Those ideas you always have? The images you always see? Maybe there's something to learn in them. Don't just try to drown them out. Listen to yourself sometimes."
Giving Danny one last kiss, Sam walked down the stairs again, heading for the door.
"You're smoking up the whole house." Danny said.
"So get an air freshener." Sam said.
Opening the front door, Sam walked through it, shutting itself behind her and leaving.
Having watched Sam leave, Danny was left alone, having no trace of her left but the advice she gave to him. Self-reflection and contemplation reign over him, causing him to second-guess the idea of life he once had, and what he believed was a way towards a healthy mind again.
Staying on the staircase, he made one stair his seat, propping his head up with his hands and moping to himself as the answers to his newly-posed questions laid unclear. He has already made his way through adolescence, but it seems that he has not yet progressed through all the troubles that it brought about, as though his own growth was stunted by something gone wrong in his life.
He does not know why, but he knows what had caused this change:
The Ghost Portal.
Standing in the portal has been the genesis of his troubles, leading him to having never touching it, looking at it, or even been in the basement which occupied it for years out of fear. There is no logical explanation that can be made for his reaction to it, especially not by his intelligent and science-oriented sister, making the portal more and more of a mystery to him.
The thoughts regarding the mystery is cut short as a knock on the door was heard, and Danny unseated himself to head to the door. Believing Sam to be the one knocking on the front door, Danny opened it casually and carelessly, speaking to her in a snarky attitude...
"What's the matter, you forget your lighter?" Danny asked.
...only to have his attitude change to confusion as he stood before a group of strangers, all bearing large heads, all with unusual shapes.
"Hello, Mr. Fenton. Might we have a few minutes to speak with you?" Dib asked.
Danny Fenton is then given the full recounting of the situation at hand, as the others have been, but Danny is not so quick to accept it as the others. Rocket Power, Gerald, and Rudy have all had their experiences with the paranormal and supernatural, and could accept the situation with enough ease and an open mind.
In another life and timeline, Danny could have easily accepted this reality and been quick to help, being a supernatural being himself who fought the supernatural.
But this is not that time or that Danny. He does not accept what he is being told, not out of the mouth of Dib Membrane or of Arnold Shortman, even after accepting that the latter is the Green Eye, and does his best to try to make what sense he can out of the conversation.
"Uh, guys, this is all a really cool idea for a comic, but I think you guys might be better off doing it on your own. I'm pretty busy with my own stuff now-" Danny tried to say.
"This isn't a pitch for a comic, Mr. Fenton. What we're describing to you is as real as a heart attack. That's why we need your help." Dib said.
"No, no, look, I'm not Danny Phantom, or whatever you think. Danny Phantom's just a comic book character. I write him while my girlfriend does the art. It's not real."
"Yes, it is, and yes, you are."
"Listen, take it from me. I'm in therapy myself, and it's helping out a lot. I think maybe you should seek out some help yourself. You sound like you need it."
"I agree with that idea, but the part about the aliens he's not just making up. I've seen one of their ships for myself. Besides, I'm a real-life superhero- Ungh... I was a real-life superhero. You don't have to hide your secrets from us." Arnold added.
"I don't have any secrets to hide. I'm telling you, I'm not Danny Phantom. He's just a comic book character I write."
Following Danny's reply, Arnold analyzed him with an empathic scan, detecting his emotions to search for any inconsistencies. The scan revealed nothing that showed any signs of lying or deception, but instead all signs of the complete truth, leading Arnold to raise his eyebrow in curiosity.
"Dib, he's telling the truth. Is there something else we're missing here?" Arnold asked.
"Of course I'm telling the truth. Why do you think that I'm Danny Phantom?" Danny asked.
"Because you are. Think about it. Why is the character of Danny Phantom just like you in every way?" Dib asked.
"I wouldn't say he's like me in every way, but I based him off myself. Plenty of other comic writers and artists do that."
"And that extends to including every single person you know, and the town you grew up in?"
"Matt Wagner did it in his Mage series. Why not me? Best to write what you know best."
"And what about the dual memories you keep having that match the events of the comics?"
Dib's latest question is what made Danny stop and think, forced to come to contemplate on a topic he himself barely touched upon.
"How do you know about that?" Danny asked.
"Plenty of others reported on similar effects from reading your comics. I'm guessing you have these memories first, then write the comics based around them?" Dib asked.
Again does Danny go silent, feeling a sense of threat regarding how these strangers could know about this secret fact of himself.
"I... I never told anyone about that. How do you know that?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, Dib, how did you know that? Last stop we made, you said you didn't know anything about the people we were going after. How is it you somehow have more knowledge on Danny here than anyone else?" Arnold added.
"Because this one's made a name for himself here, in this timeline. Rudy Tabootie I found nothing about in my research, and Gerald Johanssen I found on information with the Hillwood Heroes. With Danny Fenton, it's been a bit more complicated. See, it's not just him that has these visions that he uses to make his comic books. There are also thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of people who report the exact same story: They had a memory of a past life, read his comic, and had an instance of deja vu, recollecting the past life in full. It's quite big in the fandom of his comic, and there's been rumors of Danny himself having these same visions. Now, he's just confirmed it for me." Dib explained.
"So what if I do? That doesn't prove anything."
"Doesn't it? You don't really think that all these people can tell the same story and it doesn't mean something?"
"What do you think it means?"
"Time travel."
Danny sat incredulously after Dib's simplistic yet unfounded explanation, until finally managing to respond with a scoff.
"So, ghosts are real, aliens are real, and time travel's real. What next? Santa Claus is real?" Danny joked.
"Time travel is indeed real. I have living proof of it. Not with me now, unfortunately, but I'll be happy to show you if you come along with us." Dib said.
"Yeah, sure. Nice save. Listen, I've heard just about enough of-"
"Danny, listen to me, son. He might be crazy, but he's not wrong. We've come a long way just to talk to you, and there are lives at stake here. What harm is there in listening?" Nigel asked.
The calm demeanor of Nigel Thornberry allowed Danny the patience to continue, which led him to calm down and keep listening.
"Okay, so time travel's real. Allegedly. How does that explain me?" Danny asked.
"There's a theory regarding time travel its effects on consciousness known as the Waid-Morrison Principle. We humans perceive it at a certain framerate, but sometimes it can be slowed down or sped up, depending on what chemistry is in our brains. If this theory is correct, it means that time itself is subject to consciousness, and therefore is malleable under the correct circumstances. In the same way that some people can recall a past life, or a psychic can communicate with other worlds." Dib explained.
"How very scientific."
"You're the son of two of the greatest paranormal scientists in the field, Mr. Fenton. I'm surprised to see you act so dismissively and skeptically."
"They quit years ago."
"What?"
"My parents don't do their ghost-hunting stuff anymore. They haven't ever since... Uh, they haven't done it for years."
"But that doesn't seem right, I remember reading about how they had just began construction on a portal meant to breach into the afterlife. It was all over the paranormal blogosphere."
"The por- Uh, ahem, that... thing was built years ago. Like, back when I was a teenager. You're acting like it was yesterday. I know you're kind of crazy, but you seriously got some issues if you think that long ago was just yesterday."
"I... But, I... Oh..."
Dib sunk his head into his hands in a confused manner, leaving the conversation to be carried by Arnold and Nigel. Both looked to Dib's reaction with just as much confusion as him, and just as much understanding over his condition as Dib himself, with no clear answer to his actions in sight.
Disregarding him for the moment, the two turned their attention back to Danny.
"Alright, let's forget about him. Clearly we're not all on the same page. Why don't you start from the beginning?" Arnold asked.
"Beginning of what? I don't even know what you people want from me." Danny said.
"You got awfully shy when you mentioned that portal. Why?"
When faced directly on the issue with a straight, simple question, Danny stood silent after Arnold's inquiry, nervously trying to defend himself from the question.
"Why do you want to know?" Danny asked.
"Because you're taking an awful lot of lengths to avoid it, and maybe it ties into Dib's crazy ideas about alternate timelines. Call it a hunch." Arnold said.
Letting out a deep sigh, Danny mustered his strength to explain his experience with the portal, clinging to himself out of discomfort.
"I was... messing around down in the basement with some friends once. Back when I was just 14. I didn't believe in my parents' ghost-hunting stuff then. Actually, I still don't really believe it now. But my friends and I, we figured there wasn't any harm in checking it out. The Gh- The por- The... you-know-what... My parents spent a lot of time and money into it, building it all from scratch, but, when they turned it on, it didn't work. They were about ready to give up and finally get real jobs around that time, and started abandoning the whole ghost-hunting thing they had going. Obviously, something big and supposedly advanced like that, a bunch of dumb kids like us, we had to check it out, and I planned on going in. I put on a safety suit to make sure I wouldn't be hurt by anything, just to be on the safe side. They're these HAZMAT suits my parents made, and my dad put his face on them; it's stupid. But, anyway, I decided to take a look inside the Gh- Gho- Eh..." Danny shuddered.
"It's alright, son. Don't be afraid. You're safe and sound here. Just tell us what happened." Nigel assured.
"See, that's the thing. I don't know what happened. I walked inside, my hand was running along the edge of the inside, and... I just felt this... sudden hit... of... like, an entire life's worth of pain all hitting me at once. Not like physical pain... but mental pain... the kind of pain you feel when you lose someone or something important, and I just fell to the floor. Sam ran in, dragged me out, and... It's funny, you'd think it's the last thing anyone would be thinking about at that moment in time, but... I just fell for her, right then and there. I had some feelings for her before, but not like I did at that moment in time. I think she felt it, too, because we kissed right there, and we've been together since. Ever since then, I've also had the visions in my head that I put into the Danny Phantom comics. That's where the whole idea came to me. I never went down to the basement or even looked at the portal ever again."
The story filled the three with much intrigue, the description of the events begging them to investigate further.
"Why don't we have a look at this portal?" Arnold asked.
"What?! Oh, no, no, no, I can't go down there." Danny panicked.
"Why not? If you haven't even looked at it after all these years, it's obviously not going to hurt you, now, is it?"
"I'm taking meds for what happened. I don't want whatever's wrong with me to get worse by going down there."
"Or perhaps it might do you good to face your fears." Nigel added.
Though knowing these three for a short period of time, Danny invested enough trust in them to entertain their request, with Nigel's suggestion gaining his interest.
"Maybe you're right. Alright. I'll show you the Ghost Portal." Danny said.
A short walk through the house leads them to its basement, with Danny leading them into darkness below. Reaching for a light switch on the wall, he flipped it, illuminating the room to bring visibility to the guests and show what laid inside what used to be the Fentons' laboratory.
It served no other state now than as an ordinary basement, filled with cardboard boxes filled with various items of varying limits and timelines of use, ranging from basic Christmas decorations to many Fenton inventions packed away, never touched or to be used or studied perhaps ever again.
"There's not much to the basement these days. My parents used to be down here 24/7 making some weird stuff or doing ghost research, but now it's where we keep all our holiday stuff or Jazz's old textbooks." Danny explained.
But in stark contrast to the dilapidated state of the basement, the Ghost Portal could still be seen standing tall, collecting cobweb after years of neglect.
"Except the portal. There it's been, just like it was yesterday that thing messed me up." Danny said.
"They packaged up all their research, but not the portal?" Dib asked.
"They spent so much time into building it that they couldn't bring themselves to take it down, so I overheard. Besides, it's sort of built into the wall. Not much you can do but leave it be."
Stepping past the several cardboard boxes of storage, the group stood before the Ghost Portal in all its glory that remained. Never has it been given the chance to breach into the unknown as it was intended, but its very design and presence demanded respect and intrigue, which was paid in full by them all.
Danny's reaction is infused with fear, stepping back, only to end up in a compassionate arm of Nigel Thornberry, calming him in a fatherly fashion.
"Easy, now, son. You're perfectly fine." Nigel said.
A nervous gulp preceded Danny's next comment, made to try to maintain his composure.
"So, there it is. Did you find what you wanted yet?" Danny asked.
"Almost. The Ghost Portal seems to be in functioning order. Why is it your parents couldn't activate it?" Dib asked.
"I don't know. Maybe they crossed a couple of wires. Maybe a fuse blew. Maybe they were just crazy and the damn thing was never gonna work anyway."
Looking inside the Ghost Portal for himself, Dib inspected the electronics and design of the portal, seeking out any potential flaws that might exist within. Though unfamiliar with the construction within, he possessed enough understanding of technology to look out for any potential defects or oversights, trying to gain an understanding of the current situation of Danny Fenton.
"Tell me something else. In the comic book, how do you get your powers?" Dib asked.
"You mean, how Danny Phantom gets his powers?" Danny asked.
"Yeah, sure."
"He, uh, he steps inside the Ghost Portal."
"Like this one here?"
"Yeah, like this one. I based it off this."
The information given allowed Dib to have a few new ideas cross his mind, all of which he kept secret and discreet as his contemplations continued. The vast majority of the ideas, however, were swept away as soon as something within the Ghost Portal had caught his eye, making him turn back to face it, and gawking at it with a scoff at the sheer stupidity of the thought process behind it:
There was a switch flipped to the 'OFF' position resting directly inside.
"Tell me something about your parents. Do you think either one of them would be dumb enough to put an 'ON/OFF' switch where it's not supposed to go?" Dib asked.
"Uh, maybe my dad. He's kind of weird like that. Why?" Danny asked.
"A man of his genius, building something like this, and he puts the switch right inside. I guess it tracks. I've met scientists that can make a nuclear bomb, but they can't tell green from red."
"Wait. You said there's a switch right inside the portal?"
"Yep. Right here."
"Heh. Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."
"Care to take a look for yourself?"
"No, I'm quite fine here, thank you very much."
With Danny unwilling to come inside the Ghost Portal, Dib was not so easily able to test his hypothesis, leading him to try a different approach to get him inside.
"Were you really not surprised when I said there's the switch right inside?" Dib asked.
"Not really. Like I said, my dad messes up stuff like that." Danny said.
"Are you sure that's why? Maybe it wasn't because you saw it there before... say, in a past life?"
The question made Danny grow silent in contemplation, unsure of the answer to the question himself, and once again doubting his grasp on reality.
"What difference does it make?" Danny asked.
Stepping out of the Ghost Portal towards Danny, Dib discreetly got close to him, well within arm's length.
"The difference being, if you stood inside this machine after it was activated... would you also become Danny Phantom, like in the comic?" Dib asked.
A realization was shown from the shocked face of Danny Fenton, who, before he could fully react, was grabbed by Dib and dragged into the Ghost Portal. Reacting in complete and sheer terror, Danny began fighting back against Dib, pushing him and hitting his arms to try to free himself.
Falling to the floor, Danny tried to get up, crawling away for but an inch during the attempt, only for Dib to grab his legs and prevent his further escape. Holding Danny by his legs, Dib began pulling him inside the portal, ignoring all signs of resistance he put up, including his failed attempts at kicks and loud screams.
"STOP! NO! DON'T DRAG ME IN THERE!" Danny panicked.
"Just get in, Fenton! It's for the good of the Earth!" Dib yelled.
Shock is what initially prevented Arnold and Nigel from intervening to prevent Dib from tormenting Danny any further. Arnold took to Dib to pull him away from Danny, while Nigel went to Danny himself, with both separating the two. Intent on seeing Danny enter the portal, Dib fought back against Arnold's hold, all to no luck.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Arnold shouted.
"We just need to get him in the portal! He has powers, I'll show you!" Dib yelled.
"Forget it! You're not showing anything else. Give it up now, or I'll break something until you do."
Forced to concede to the threat, Dib ended his struggles, prompting Arnold to release him.
Set into a state of panic attack from being so near the Ghost Portal, Danny Fenton was unable to stop shaking, shutting himself down from the sheer stress that was put upon him. Once again turning to his fatherly instincts, Nigel held Danny in a tight grip, offering what he could to calm the young man down.
"Easy, son. Easy. You're perfectly fine. No one's going to hurt you. You're okay." Nigel shushed.
The process to get Danny calm and rational once again is slow and arduous, but Nigel stays to it nonetheless, doing what he can to ensure his safety and well-being.
Danny does calm down in the tight hold of Nigel Thornberry, but still is he visibly shaken, and to a degree so great that he showed no strength or wellness about himself. Following their altercation, Arnold and Dib stepped forward and looked at the pathetic state Danny was in, seeing a very troubled young man...
...but not seeing anything resembling the character of Danny Phantom.
"Was this supposed to be one of the big heroes you were on the hunt for?" Arnold asked.
Looking back and forth at Arnold and Danny, Dib knows that he has no explanation, but the evidence presented clearly speaks against him.
"Please... Please just... just..." Danny stammered.
"We're already gone. Sorry about this." Arnold said.
Escorting Dib out of the basement, Arnold left Nigel alone with him, who slowly began releasing his grip to allow Danny to hold his own.
"You going to be alright, son?" Nigel asked.
"I'm fine... Please, just go..." Danny whimpered.
"I'm very sorry about all this, son. I really am."
Following after the others, Nigel left the basement as well, leaving Danny completely alone.
Put through a traumatic experience, forced to face a fear that he has held yet never confronted for many years since, instead drowning away the source of his troubles with medications galore, Danny stared into the open maw of the Ghost Portal, where even in its inactive state it managed to bring him fright and terror.
Soon does he begin making his way towards the stairs to leave the Ghost Portal out of his sight, after managing to overcome his initial shock. Once here, Danny could allow himself a moment's peace where he could stop and breathe. In catching his breath, he reached into his pocket and prepared a dosage of his medication, preparing to take it to relieve his anxiety.
But once the pills fell into his hand, however, a second thought crossed his mind before he consumed them.
You should trust yourself more. Those ideas you always have? The images you always see? Maybe there's something to learn in them. Don't just try to drown them out. Listen to yourself sometimes. Sam's words echoed.
Recalling the last message that Sam spoke to him before she departed, the temporary peace that the pills offered him became far less appealing, and what it offered no longer holding the value it did. Without the artificial chemicals blocking the emotions that he detested and feared, the feelings came in a reverse erosion, the same anxieties he has felt before coming back with a vengeance...
...but, even though the pills would more than suffice to berid himself of them, he does not take them.
Why he does not, he is not sure. Any rationalizations that could be made at this moment in time might reason that Sam's encouragement is what leads him not to take them, or perhaps there is some truth in what the visitors that have come for him today have said, but, whatever the case truly is, he knows that it is worth investigating further.
Opening the pharmaceutical bottle once again, Danny slid them back in, sealing the lid closed after.
The three visitors reembarked back on the Comvee, once again failing to take with them another potential defender against the incoming Irken invasion. Disappointment has increased even higher than before with the most recent failure, and the lack of an extra passenger makes the morale of the rest of the group fall in morale.
"Hey, where's the new guy? You didn't get him, either?" Otto asked.
"No. Whoever Dib said this guy is, he's not. He's just some kid." Arnold said.
"You mean the crazy guy was wrong about something? Somehow, I'm not suprised." Reggie scoffed.
"Spare me the sarcasm, Rocket. I know who he is, and, if I had my way, he'd have his powers, and we'd have a very powerful asset on our hands to help us defend the Earth. If it wasn't for discount Steve Irwin here, I would've-" Dib began to say.
In a swift act that little aboard the Comvee expected or could react as it happened, Nigel grabbed Dib by the shoulder and turned him, keeping a grip on him as he spun him. Before speaking to Dib, Nigel looked to him with an intense glare that rarely was shown from the normally warm and playful man, indicating a strong anger that should not be seen.
"I've heard just about enough nonsense out of you, young man. Now, you listen to me. If it was not for Arnold Shortman and the necessity of this little mission, I would not allow you on my Comvee for one more second. You threatened my daughter. That alone, I would already have been done with you. Back there, you harmed a young man who was very clearly not in his right mind, all over a pointless gamble. I will not stand for that. Not now, not ever. If you ever try anything of the slightest like that again, I will make you regret it for the rest of your life. Understand?" Nigel asked.
The grip and intense stare being held indicated that Nigel would not end the confrontation until he was given an answer, which Dib did so in a begrudging manner.
"Alright. Fine." Dib said.
Though flippant and stubborn, the answer still satisfied Nigel to release Dib, making his way through the Comvee to leave him behind.
"And while we're talking, show more respect for Mr. Irwin. I knew him well. He was a kind man, and quite spirited. He was more pleasant company than others I can name." Nigel said.
Once leaving Dib behind, Nigel walked towards his bedroom, soon stopped by Arnold before leaving sight of the others.
"Nicely handled. But I personally would have given him a smack." Arnold said.
"I don't believe in physical confrontation... although, I must admit it was very tempting at that moment in time." Nigel said.
"For the longest time, I didn't, either. I learned that lesson the hard way."
Nigel opened his mouth with the intent to speak, but backed down in frustration, feeling as though his points, repeated, would bear no fruit.
"And I know you're trying to talk me out of it again. Try to get me back to my naive old self. You can keep trying all you want if it makes you feel better." Arnold said.
"I won't go on about that now. I'm not in a very charitable mood following that." Nigel said.
"There was something else that should've put your mood off more. First, he says he has information on us and who we are. Then, he says he doesn't have any. Now, he's saying he does, but all based on his wild conspiracy theories."
"That fact was not lost on me. As much as I don't trust him, I think the one person who should trust him the least is himself. If it wasn't for that spaceship we found back in Ocean Shores, I wouldn't be entertaining this little road trip at all."
"We've got one more stop before we head to this alien of his. We don't have to deal with him for much longer, but, until then, it might be a good idea to keep a tighter watch on him."
"I already have. Old saying goes: 'Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer'. I've dealt with just as many dangerous men as I have dangerous animals. A dangerous animal, you can predict. Usually, it's just to protect themselves or their kin that they lash out and attack. A man who acts dangerously, you've got too many factors to reason in to deal with him. Man is the most unpredictable, wild animal there is."
"Redundant point, but well-said. He tries anything, I'll handle him."
While alliances and conspiracies are made to protect one another, the target of said talks made his way to the front of the Comvee, giving directions to their next stop.
"Last stop before Zim is Royal Woods, Michigan." Dib said.
"Royal Woods? Isn't that the home of that superhero boy... What's his name... Lincoln La-ood?" Marianne asked.
"Lincoln Loud. And he's exactly who we're looking for."
The drive to the next destination begins, driving through the streets of Amity Park to leave the town behind and make their way to the next. Leaving Marianne to do the driving once again, Dib is once again forced to find a seat for himself, still facing ostracization from the others aboard.
Communication with Dib is not something anyone aboard actively seeks, but is sometimes made out of necessity, as Rocket Power soon demonstrate.
"So, that's another one of your heroes for hire that weren't interested. That's 1 out of 5 guys you wanted. What happens if this last one doesn't take it?" Otto asked.
The implications of the question are harrowing to Dib to even think about, making him give a dramatic pause before answering...
"Then god help us all." Dib shuddered.
...but the reaction is nothing that particularly concerns the rest of Rocket Power, who themselves are not fully convinced of the threat as a whole.
"You know, I'm sure there probably is some kind of threat at stake here, but how many times have people said that exact response to a question like that? Hearing that answer just makes it so much less dramatic than it really is." Reggie said.
"It's called an overused cliche. There's a reason nobody says them anymore." Sam said.
"Well, sorry, okay? With the fate of the Earth at stake, I'm not exactly in the mood for originality." Dib said.
"No, of course not. With the trench coat and glasses, you're just like every other internet-brained loser I've ever seen. What's the matter, you leave the katana at home?" Otto asked.
The whole of Rocket Power and a handful of others laughed at the expense of Dib, leaving him to simmer in annoyance.
"Oh, ha-ha. Hilarious." Dib groaned.
"Follow the white rabbit, Neo." Twister joked.
More laughs came out from the Comvee, with Dib once again simmering in anger while shaking his head.
Dinnertime is a setting is often considered a healthy part of family life.
To eat together as a family unit, to be sharing subsistence with one another, and be in a vulnerable moment of replenishing nutrients for their bodies, all are a disarming moment in which all can be comfortable and at ease, strengthening bonds with one another and bringing relief and comfort to the day.
It is also a time for each member to share their accounts of the day, instilling trust in each other with everything, even the most minute and seemingly insignificant of details, shared with one another. Parents can talk about work, children can talk about school, and perhaps there is a lesson of life that can be learned in the process.
But tonight, there is a dead silence at the table as the Tabootie family sits together.
Earlier in the day, the call of duty had come for Rudy Tabootie, coming at the behest of the Green Eye, and made in the service of fighting off an incoming alien invasion. Unable to bring himself to violence in any way, shape, or form any longer, having had more than his fill of it throughout his life, Rudy had declined the call.
Looking up to their stepfather as a source of good morals and trustworthiness, and idolizing the Green Eye as one of the world's greatest heroes, Carol and Carlos look to him with disappointment and disgust, feeling many manners of negative emotions about Rudy.
They do not fully understand the reason for his actions, but they do not care. All they need to know is that Rudy has declined to help those in need.
And that is a decision they cannot believe he would make.
Dinner has been made, thanks to the efforts of the whole family, but no one has touched the food even after it has been served. There is discomfort and tension high present at the table, all brought about by the events that occurred earlier in the day regarding the Green Eye, but those feelings have not been resolved.
Until now, none has had the will to speak, and that silence has been broken by Rudy, whose mood was also sour.
"What's the matter with everyone? It's time for dinner. Let's eat." Rudy said.
"The Green Eye needed your help. You said no." Carlos said.
Clearly unhappy with the discussion brought about, inevitable as it was, Rudy still kept his responses on it short.
"That's right, I did." Rudy said.
"Why?" Carol asked.
"Because I've had enough of fighting. I don't want to get involved in fights I have nothing to do with."
"Aliens can come for us. What then?" Carlos asked.
"Worst case scenario, we go to ChalkZone. We'll be safe there. The world can take care of itself."
"Not what the Green Eye would say."
"I'm not the Green Eye."
"You would do the right thing. You're a hero in ChalkZone. You can be a hero here."
"That's enough. I have heard all I want to hear of this topic. I am not going to help the Green Eye or anyone with some cockamanie alien fight. We are going to stay right here, and we are going to keep moving on. That's what we've been doing for the past year, and we're gonna keep doing it until you both grow up and can move out. If you want to get yourselves involved in things like that, go right ahead."
"I hate you." Carol said.
The hurtful words brought a gasp out of Penny, with Carol and Carlos looking at Rudy with disapproving faces. Looking back at his children with a stoic face that attempted to hide his own hurt, Rudy simply dismissed Carol's statement, acting as though it meant nothing.
"That's fine. You can think whatever you want of me. It's not going to get me to go and fight. I've had enough fights in my life, seen enough death and violence, and caused more than enough of it myself. I am not going to delve deeper into becoming a monster after I spent time in therapy trying not to be. We are not going to talk about aliens or the Green Eye, or anything else, and we are going to sit down like a good, big, happy family, and we are going to eat dinner, so stop talking about this shit to me and eat!" Rudy yelled.
Raising his voice at the dinner table, Rudy's angered outburst caused Carlos to squirm uncomfortably, covering his ears and groaning in response to the loud voice.
"Stop moaning!" Rudy shouted.
Unwilling to see her son berated for his dislike of loud voices, Penny held Carlos by her, resting his head in her bosom.
"Don't yell at my son, Rudy. Not wanting to talk about this is one thing, yelling at Carlos is another." Penny protested.
Reading deeper into Penny's response than intended, Rudy raised an eyebrow to her first spoken words.
"Your son? What happened to 'our' son?" Rudy asked.
Understanding the implication accidentally made in her response, Penny softened her reply to revoke the unintended message.
"That's... That's not what I-" Penny tried to say.
"No, no, I get it. I'm not really their father after all, aren't I? I'm just the fill-in for the job. The last guy ditched you because he was a piece of shit. You traded him in for an asshole. I guess it's a step in the right direction. Maybe the next one you'll get'll just be a dick, right?" Rudy ranted.
"Rudy, please, you're not listening to me."
"No, I heard you loud and clear. I'm not welcome in this family anymore. I've never really belonged anywhere, not when I was a kid, not when I was in ChalkZone. Why should I belong here now, in the home that I grew up in, no less? In fact, I'll just go ahead and leave so I won't be a problem here anymore."
Getting up from his chair, Rudy stormed to the staircase and marched up it, with Penny running close behind to follow him, and their children just behind her.
The three managed to catch up to Rudy, finding him in the master bedroom, taking to his wardrobe with a suitcase. Angrily grabbing random selections of clothes, Rudy began packing with the intent of leaving, making good on what he had said at the dinner table.
"Rudy! What are you doing?!" Penny panicked.
Penny ran to him to grab his arm, but Rudy pushed her away, continuing to pack.
"I'm leaving. I'll be out of here so you can all do whatever you want, and not have me burdening you. I'll go and join up with the Green Eye and those other fighters, and you won't have to worry about me anymore." Rudy said.
Carol and Carlos fell into despair at the idea of their beloved stepfather leaving, with the latter beginning to cry.
"Rudy, please don't go. We don't want you to go. We need you. I need you. And you need us." Penny begged.
"No, I don't. I made it just fine on my own in ChalkZone before. I made it without you before, and I can do it again. I'll be fine on my own. I'll go back to being a monster again. I'll go back to being a... being a... a..." Rudy stammered.
Halfheartedly throwing the last item of clothing in his suitcase, Rudy then dropped the bag altogether, falling against the nearest wall and holding himself as he began to cry, covering his face as not to show any tears. With her husband no longer making any attempts to leave, and showing a clear need for comfort and love, Penny knelt down and hugged him, holding him tightly as he held her back.
Showing their support and love for Rudy as well, Carol and Carlos ran to Rudy to join in the hug, welcomed by both of their parents.
"Rudy... Dad... I don't hate you. I'm sorry." Carol cried.
"God, no, I'm sorry. I don't know how I'm supposed to get through this. I know it's not supposed to be easy. But I didn't get an instruction manual for this." Rudy cried.
"Doesn't matter. We're here. We love you, dad." Carlos cried.
"We all love you, Rudy. Especially me. We're here for you, no matter what. Whatever you do, we won't shame you. We want what's best for you. You're part of this family now. You're the dad." Penny cried.
The final words Penny cried are all the assurance that Rudy needs to know his place, and remind him that he is needed and loved. His cries become more joyous when he hears this truth spoken to him, and the embrace that his family gives him helps to melt away the anger he has towards himself.
"I'm a dad... I'm a daddy..." Rudy cried.
"Yes, you are, Rudy. You belong here. You love us. And we love you." Penny cried.
Continuing to hold onto his family, Rudy makes them his rock, crying with them as they all shared the burden of his troubles together, working as a family to see the troubles through. The warmth and softness that his wife and children provided drowned out his sorrows only enough to make the sadness tolerable once again, and it makes his crying lighten.
What cries do continue are cries much needed, and help to heal the whole family.