Doctor Dash

Chapter 48

"This is going too slowly," Danny growled, gripping the steering wheel tightly as he tried to find some way through the traffic. He could always take after his parents in driving and just plow through things like there weren't even there, but his car wasn't exactly on the same level as the Fenton Assault Vehicle. In fact, he was fairly certain if he tried crashing through things to get past the traffic blocking his way that he would only end up with a useless car wrapped around a tree or lamppost, which didn't sound like it would help his progress any. Added to that was the fact that Dash was in the car with him, and while Danny could probably walk away from a crash thanks to his ghost powers, Dash probably wouldn't be so lucky.

"So maybe this is a crazy suggestion," Dash said slowly, glancing Danny's way like he was trying to gauge the half ghost's reaction before continuing, "but you do have ghost powers. I know keeping that secret is highly important, but I think protecting your son trumps that." He reached out suddenly, grabbing hold of the man's wrist like he feared Danny would suddenly fly off if he didn't stop him. "Your son is at my house with my son and one of my best friends, which means I have people in danger as well. So don't even think about running off on your own to fight this alone. You're taking me with you, and that's final."

Danny gazed numbly at the doctor. He was coming to understand that the man did care about him, but Dash had more than just one or two people that he was concerned about in this situation. "I promise I'm not going to let the bastard hurt any of them." Fierce determination flashed in his blue eyes. He did care about Xander and would never wish any harm to befall the boy. Paulina certainly didn't deserve to suffer from Freakshow's actions either.

He turned the car down a side street that was lined with tall buildings. Later on, Danny might regret this decision, but Dash had a point. Lex's life was far more important at that moment than protecting his secret. "I hope you're ready for this," he said, throwing a glance Dash's way. Then he shifted forms, changing the car and them invisible then intangible. He hadn't needed to do something like this since high school, but it wasn't as much a strain for him as it was back when he first got his powers. He veered the car in the direction of Dash's house and hit the gas, speeding them through buildings, cars, and other obstacles.

"This is actually," Dash laughed almost breathlessly, "pretty awesome."

Danny smiled a little to himself, taking some pride in the fact that he could still awe the other man with his ghost powers. "Definitely beats sitting in traffic, huh?"

"Man, if I had this power, I'd never have to worry about being late for anything because of traffic jams."

"I don't generally abuse my powers like that, but that would certainly make life a lot less frustrating." Danny laughed, wondering why he never thought about that until now.

"So that Darren guy," Dash said in a contemplative tone, "you seem to know him pretty well. And that whole badge flashing thing." He raised an eyebrow at Danny. "Care to explain that whole thing."

Danny shrugged, one shoulder rolling. "After Freakshow murdered Sam, I spoke a bunch of times with Darren, who was on the team that investigated into the murder. Of course, many of the agents didn't see much reason to do anything all that thorough since it was pretty obvious who the killer was since Freakshow didn't get away after shooting Sam. Darren was actually pretty cool. He, and his band of three subordinates, which includes that Steven guy Paulina's been seeing, wanted to ensure that Freakshow could never get out and do something like that again. Unfortunately, being on the lower end of the ladder, Darren doesn't have much power or influence. He could tell his bosses a thousand reasons with substantial evidence to back him up for everything, and they would still turn a blind eye to him." Danny sighed tiredly. "I actually like the guy. He'd be a good friend if he didn't work for the Guys in White. Darren isn't one of those agents that shoots firsts and asks questions never when it comes to ghosts. That's part of why he kept in touch with me and gave me the badge so I can get in and out of Guys in White facilities whenever I need to. He was interested in knowing what sort of things I knew about ghosts since my parents are ghost hunters. Of course, he's still wary of ghosts he first meets and never goes into an encounter without packing a few weapons, but he gives a ghost the chance to prove it's good or not before attacking. Which can't be said for many Guys in White agents."