The long hallways were bare and sterile, save it be the blinking security camera's scanning the corridors. It was empty, the only sound the echoes of booted feet as they hit the ground.
Two men in blinding white turned a corner. They walked together silently, hardened frowns on their faces, the sunglasses on their noses hid their watchful eyes that moved about. A shadow past behind them unbeknownst to the patrolling agents. It ran soundlessly down the hall, the cameras made no sign that they saw the invisible invader.
The small shadow paused and phased into the wall as more guards passed by. It peeked its head out, scanning both directions before ghosting forwards. A scroll type parchment was rolled up in one of it's hands, the shadow quickly went one of the many doors in the hallway.
The shadow passed through the door, coming into a poorly lit room that reeked. The glowing green chains were bolted to the wall, the walls themselves threw a green haze over the occupant. The captive ghost's head lifted at the shadows entrance.
The ghost had white hair in a low ponytail, a ragged white cape around his shoulders, worn green gloves covered his hands and he wore a dark trench-coat-like suit. He looked exhausted, a blinking collar was around his neck. His face was one of worry but it melted when the ghost saw the form of the shadow. He gave a crooked smile.
"Tucker."
The shadows disappeared around the form to reveal a small boy. He wore a yellow shirt and had dark skin, a backpack was slung over his shoulder and he held the parchment in one hand. The young boy smiled but his stance remained tense, the guards could come by at any minute.
"Hi Technus, did they work you too hard again?" Tucker said, he pushed his glasses farther up his nose and crept forward. If he wasn't careful the cameras would see him.
Their friendship was an odd one, it started when the GIW first started capturing ghosts. Technus had evaded capture for a while thanks to Tucker. Tucker was exploring in the abandoned house of the Fenton's, some said it was hunted but he didn't care. He had heard there was a lot of high tech gear in their basement and Tucker wanted to upgrade his PDA.
When he finally got to the basement he found a weird green vortex spiraling inside a hole in the wall. It was sparking and glitching, something obviously wasn't connected right. Tucker examined the place and found the problem. Before he could attempt to fix it a ghost had fallen through the portal.
It was Technus, his coat was singed and he was lying on the floor. he twisted so he was on his back and he scrambled backwards, not noticing the boy to his right. Lasers started firing out of the portal, Tucker squeaked in alarm, alerting the ghost to his presence.
"Turn it off!! Turn it off!!" The ghost pleaded as the lasers fired around him, he ducked his head as a green blur grazed past him. Tucker impulsively shut the portal down.
"Thank you small child." Technus said, relaxing, that was a close shave with the GIW. Seven year old Tucker figured he should introduce himself.
"I'm Tucker Foley!" He said excitedly to the ghost. Technus raised an eyebrow, usually when he met humans they would run away screaming.
"I am Technus! Ghost master of science and electrical technology! And all things beeping!" He said in his normally loud voice, Tucker giggled.
"I like video games! I also have this PDA!" Tucker said with no excitement lost, holding up his PDA to show the ghost. Technus frowned and stroked his non-existent beard, examining the pice of equipment.
"You have great taste in electronics little child." Technus also scanned the room, seeing all the electrical debris. "Do you live here Foley child?"
Tucker laughed again, "No, I live on a different street with my parents." Technus nodded thoughtfully.
"You have a way with computers don't you Foley child." Technus said, Tucker shrugged and nodded, he had been known to mess around with technology.
"Yeah! We both like computers, let's be friends!" Tucker said. Technus couldn't help but smile, the boy had a surprising amount of enthusiasm.
"Alright Tucker Foley, let's be friends."
Technus never had a human friend before, he kinda liked it. It helped a ton when the GIW came looking for him, he would hide in Tucker's PDA until they left. They visited the portal at the Fenton house a lot, making sure it could be up and running any time they needed it in case of a quick escape.
It didn't help when the GIW caught Technus at a garage sale. Tucker was at a different garage at the time and could only watch from afar as his only friend was taken away. So he used the portal to find his friend and was able to sneak into his cell one day. Technus was quite surprised.
Back in the present Technus sighed, "Yes, well, the ghost master of science and all electrical technology always has work to do." Truth be told Technus wasn't so sure the GIW needed him anymore, and that scared him.
"What'cha got there?" Technus asked hoarsely, even if he was a ghost a cup of water wouldn't hurt. Tucker unrolled the parchment, Technus jaw dropped as the legendary Infi-map was splayed out on the floor.
"The Infi-map." he breathed, he reached out for it but the chains held him back.
"So thats what its called?" Tucker asked, glancing down at the black and green paper that was drawn in quarters.
"How did you get this?" Technus questioned, the Infi-map had been lost when the GIW first attacked the ghost zone.
"Uh, I kinda found it. It was in this weird thromos thing." Tucker admitted, Technus looked up with furrowed brows.
"A thromos." Technus said disbelievingly.
"Yeah, there was this guy in there too, he actually gave it to me. Said something about fixing dimensions or something like that." Tucker said, he rolled the map up again. "So what does it do? It has to do something." He looked at the parchment like one would at an odd machine, wondering its function and purpose.
"That, my small Foley child, is our ticket out of this mess." Technus said, hope filling his voice. "It can lead the user to anywhere and find anything. We need to tell the other ghosts that there is hope again." Technus said, he squirmed in his chains despite his exhaustion.
"But how does finding stuff help you guys escape?" Tucker walked forward and set his backpack down next to the ghost, he unzipped it and started rummaging through its contents.
"We need to find the halfa, -" he started.
"Vlad?" Tucker interrupted, handing Technus a water bottle he fished out of his backpack.
"No, the other one, a different halfa. I hear he's quite young, your age I think." Technus accepted the water and drank it with surprising need
"There's another halfa? Is he as powerful as Vlad?"The boy asked his ghost friend. Technus shrugged.
"No one knows, he's been locked up by the GIW for a while now but some say he escaped. He must be powerful if he was able to escape."
"So you guys need him to bust you out." Tucker said, Technus nodded.
"Yes but not only 'bust us out' but to get rid of the GIW once and for all. Those venomous snakes are tearing the Ghost Zone apart and they don't care who gets in the way. Nocturne, Undergrowth, Vortex, even Clockwork the great ghost of time have been subdued. There's not many powerful ghosts left." Technus said sadly.
"How come I've never heard of the extra halfa before?" Tucker asked, usually in his visits he and Technus would talk about the other ghosts and their powers.
"No one really knew he existed until he got out. I heard that he had help escaping, someone from the outside."
"Outside? but there's no one left." Tucker stated. All the powerful ghosts had been captured, Desiree, Dora, Fright Knight, and Pandora. The only ones that were free were Skulker, Ember, Johnny 13 and his girlfriend Kitty, they had gone into hiding right around when the GIW showed up.
"That's just it, all the ghosts in the ghost zone are either working for the GIW or hiding. Or they are like Walker and have turned, gladly sending the ghost zone into ruins because they think the GIW would spare them if they helped them." Technis scowled, "it's disgusting."
The should of heels clicking on the pristine tile floor alerted Tucker and Technus. Technus looked to Tucker worriedly, his breathing hitched and voice panicky.
"Go Tucker! You must find the halfa! Maybe some of the other free ghosts too, I don't think the far frozen has been conquered yet. Use the map!"
"Wait how do I use it?!" Tucker asked as he grabbed all his stuff and threw his backpack over his shoulder. He fiddled with a watch, one Technus gave him that allowed him to do ghost like things. But of course humans were the ghosts in the ghost zone.
"Open it up and say where you want to go or who you want to go to. Now hurry!" Tucker nodded and twisted the face of the watch, the shadows enveloped him. None too soon because the cell door burst open.
Tucker stayed stock still as the person in the doorway stepped confidently in the room, passing right next to him to get to Technus. The usually loud ghost of technology glared at the ghost in front of him. Penelope Spectra looked down on Technus, a greedy smile on her face.
"My my, Technus, feeling rather chipper today are we?" Spectra wrung her hands together, looking much like a villain would. By the state of her clothes Technus could guess that she had been going around sucking what little joy was left from the captured ghosts. She had smelled his hope from across the prison.
"Spectra you witch." Technus spat. "Why do you betray the other ghosts like this? The GIW mean to destroy the ghost zone, surely you've come to realize that."
"Tsk tsk, Technus you fool. GIW are aware that if they destroy the ghost zone they destroy the human world too, they aren't going to destroy it." Spectra said sweetly, Technus wanted to bust out of his chains and beat some sense into her. "Besides, I'm an asset, unlike you I can do good work for the GIW." Technus' stomach twisted.
"Lies! The GIW always lies! You want to talk about assets? The Vlad was an asset now look at him! He's barely controllable, there's no human or ghost left in him. He's no halfa, he's a weapon. I'm the one who makes all of their weapons against ghosts, why are you so important?" Technus demanded, he was more useful to the GIW than Spectra, why was she getting special treatment? Not that he wanted special treatment, he wanted out.
"Vlad had it coming, he should have known not to cross the GIW. And for your information I keep the peace, prisoners with hope rebell, I simply keep them from having hope. Something you have an exhilarating amount of." Her claw-like hands twitched, she wanted his hope so badly, all the other ghosts didn't have that much.
"Tell me, why do you have so much hope?" She asked, ecto-energy began sparking in her hands. Technus drew back, he would never sell out Tucker, the boy had been his only friend during these dark times. If it weren't for Tucker Technus would be in a much darker place right now.
"Alright then." Spectra said and threw her hands out, the lightning-like ectoplasm hit Technus. He couldn't help but scream, he writhed on the floor, his body began smoking.
Tucker, still invisible in the room watched with tear filled eyes. He couldn't let Technus be treated this way! The only thing that stopped him from drop kicking Spectra was the Infi-map that he held tightly in his hands. Spectra stopped her lightning and Technus took in shuddered breaths.
"You... will be me... someday..." Technus said between breaths. Spectra growled.
"I am nothing like you. Now tell me what made you have so much hope!" She raised her arms threateningly but Technus raised a hand.
"You are exactly like me. I thought that if I did good work for the GIW they would set me free. Look at me now, is this freedom?" He raised his weak hands to show her the glowing green chains that held him down. Spectra faltered as Technus continued. "They had a use for me, but now I'm expired, an old toy. You are a new and shiny toy, what will happen when the GIW becomes tired with you?" Spectra's face hardened.
"Shut up! Just tell me what I want to know!" Spectra electrocuted Technus again.
Tucker closed his eyes, not wanting to see his friend in so much pain. He had to help Technus and all the other ghosts. He had to save the ghost zone. The only way to do that was to find the halfa, he was going to visit the far frozen first like Technus suggested then find the missing halfa. But first he had to get out of the GIW prison.
Tucker phased through the wall and left his friend behind with a promise, he would return.
Technus breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw Tucker leave, his ghost watches were good, but not that good. Technus could only see him because he could see through his technology, all the GIW agents used his gear. Licks of smoke curled off his huddled form, he grimaced as stray arcs of electricity singed his cloak.
"The halfa... has escaped... it's only a matter... of time... before he comes... to get rid of... the GIW." Spectra stood still, then laughed.
"You think the small halfa will help you? The agents have Amorpho tailing him, they know exactly where he is and soon he will be back in their clutches. Last time I heard Amorpho report he said the ghost child could barely turn his hand invisible! Your hope is bound on a single child weaker than a leaf in a hurricane." Spectra scoffed, Technus slumped his shoulders.
"Maybe the ghost child is weak now, but that does not mean he can't spread hope."
"Hope is a disease, I'm the cure." She said menacingly, she placed a claw'd hand on the ghosts shoulder and she glowed as she cifened all his hope. Technus seemed to deflate, his eyes now half lidded and body limp.
"Hope is stronger than fear, if the halfa has hope then I have hope." Technus called after the leaving ghost of depression.
"What hope can he have if all his nightmares come true?" She said with an evil look in her eye, she slammed the door closed and left Technus to rot.
-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-
Valerie Gray sighed as her father was once again being yelled at by his employer.
"Someone is getting around your security measures, find out who and fix it before you get fired! The GIW doesn't it's employees leak valuable information. Think about your daughter while you work, do you want her to be fatherless?" Valerie flinched at the threat, her father began to sweat.
"Of course not agent O, I'll get to work on it right away." Her father saluted the agent in white, just like everything else in their prison. It was all really white, Valerie couldn't stand it.
"And Mr. Grey? Don't bring your daughter to work, it's dangerous here. It would be disastrous if we began to have human casualties." The agent said over his shoulder as he turned to leave. Valerie shuddered, the agents were always so cold hearted and serious.
With her dad working as the GIWs security they had pretty good pay, though nine year olds didn't pay much attention to money. Even though her dad worked in a prison for ghosts Valerie had yet to see one.
Her father sat down at his computer, it had many screens that showed the hallways and such. He blinked through them, trying to find the intruder the agent said was spilling information to their captives.
Valerie looked at her drawing, she was coloring a worksheet from school, today was Saturday. There may not have been school but Valerie's dad still worked, it was just him and her so he couldn't leave her home alone.
She gave a bored glance up at the cameras, she did a double take when she thought she saw a shadow passing through one of the screens. Valerie stiffened, was it a ghost? She wanted to find out.
"Hey dad? Can I use the bathroom?" Valerie asked sweetly, her father nodded, not taking his eyes off the screens.
"Sure, go down the hall to your right, there should be a little indent that leads to the bathrooms." He said, he didn't notice Valerie took her backpack with her.
"Thanks dad." She left the room and went down one of the sterile hallways. She wrinkled her nose, she didn't know what she was smelling was ectoplasm but she knew it smelled nasty.
Valerie turned the corner and paused when she saw the shadow again, going into the woman's bathroom. She walked faster but hesitated before opening the door, why would a ghost go to the bathroom? She shook her head, she was just curious, and besides, she said she was going to the bathroom anyway.
-0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0-
Tucker phased through the girl's bathroom door, his watch had been acting up, and the perfect place to stop in a prison was the girl's bathroom. The GIW didn't have girl agents did they? He dropped the invisibility and pulled out a tiny screw driver from his pocket.
He started fiddling with his watch, tightening a loose screw that was making the watch glitch, he glanced up for a second just to be sure no one came in and saw a girl standing in front of him. He lept backwards with a frightened yelp.
"Gah! I didn't think anyone came in here!" Tucker said, the girl rolled her eyes. She was wearing an orange shirt and jean shorts with flip flops, not exactly GIW agent clothes. Short wavy hair bounced around her face, her green eyes cold compared to Tucker's turquoise ones
"What are you doing here?! This is the girls bathroom!" She demanded, he was not a ghost. she knew enough about them to know that they glowed and flew around and stuff. His feet were firmly placed on the ground and he didn't glow, he was human.
"I know that, there's just no girl GIW agents. Uh... I need to go!" Tucker said hurriedly, he switched something on the watch and disappeared, the girl stiffened.
"Hold on just a second! What are you doing in here?" She asked the bathroom, Tucker sighed.
"leaving." His voice said from behind her, she whirled around but saw nothing.
"I mean in the prison." She said, her curiosity was killing her, what the heck was he doing?
"Well... what are YOU doing in a ghost prison?" Tucker responded, it was a fair question. The girl folded her arms.
"My dad works security here."
"'Do you even know what he's guarding?" Tucker asked somewhat rudely.
"I know it has something to do with ghosts." She admitted, the boy turned his invisibility off and he appeared in front of the door.
"My friend is in here and he's being tortured. I'm going to get him out." Tucker said seriously, the girl's eyes widened.
"Your friends with a ghost?" She said, completely ignoring the tortured part. Ghosts were bad, that's why they are in the prison, right?
"Yeah, he and his friends are in trouble and I'm going to help them escape." Tucker pointed to himself proudly then realized who he was talking to. "Please don't tell any one!"
"Why not?" She said with a frown. Actually, she wanted to see the ghosts, she didn't want to be friends with them though. Ghosts were evil and stuff, they didn't have human friends unless the human was evil too.
"Because..." Tucker paused to think of a reason, "because if you sell me out they'll kill me! If they kill me it'd be your fault!" He said with a smug grin, no sensible person would want to he a killer at age nine. The girl blanched, he was right, they would kill him.
"Fine. But if you guys escape I want to meet your friends."
"Easy!" He smiled, he held out his hand. The girl hesitated but took it, they shook on it when another thought crossed Her mind.
"I don't know your name, and how did you disappear like that?"
"Oh, I'm Tucker, Tucker Foley." He lifted his wrist with the watch on it. "This is a watch my ghost friend made, it give the wearer ghost abilities, it's how I get around. But I don't use it all the time, because in the ghost zone the humans are the ghosts so I just use my normal human abilities most of the time. But here I have to use the watch cuz these guys are tricky."
"Your ghost friend helps you?" She asked, bewildered that a non-feeling, ectoplasmic thing would actually be helpful. She was also curious about his ghost zone logic, humans had ghost powers in the ghost zone?
"Well yeah, he's my friend, ghosts were once humans too ya know." He didn't like how she thought ghosts wouldn't be loyal if they had friends. He glanced down at the watch, which also told the time, and frowned.
"Look missy I gotta go." Tucker said while messing with his watch again, he disappeared and the girl sighed.
"Valerie, my name is Valerie." She said to the empty bathroom, if Tucker heard her he didn't respond.