A/N: Hey everybody! Glad you decided to continue on :) Here's your update for today! This one is pretty long, by the way, took me about three days of continuous writing. Don't worry, the other chapters won't be as long as this one.
Disclaimer: I do not own Danny Phantom. I simply only own the plots.
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It was just an ordinary day at Amity Park. The sun was shining, birds were singing and everything seemed to be in order. Just any boring small town.
Well, if you counted the ghosts escaping out of the Fenton's portal, then it wasn't that 'boring'. They enjoyed coming to Amity Park and causing mischief. From trying to conquer the world to playing harmful pranks on humans, they found it as a source of amusement and a way to claim territory. It was something they enjoyed. Well, at least most of them anyway.
In comes Danny Phantom. Amity Park's hero was currently battling the technology ghost, who was planning on taking over the world with his electricity powers. People awed as they saw their hero deliver a couple of outstanding moves along with a few sarcastic remarks before sending the ghost in the Fenton thermos. The usual. By now, these daily ghost attacks were normal. But surprisingly, everybody looked forward to them because that meant they got to see the ghost boy in action.
"I'll come back ghost child!" Technus yelled wickedly as he got sucked in the thermos. Danny securely closed the container before smiling. That was (hopefully) the last one for today and he couldn't wait to get back home.
The media took this as a chance to huddle around Danny Phantom and question him about the bits of the fight. The reporters knew how much people were looking forward to the news tonight, especially if it involved a certain half-ghost.
"Who was that ghost?"
"Tell us, what powers do you usually use?"
"Where are these ghosts coming from?"
"Why do you protect us humans?"
"Danny Phantom! I love you!"
Danny tried to ignore the swarming questions being bombarded at him as he lifted himself from the ground and flew to search for a vacant place. However, it was pretty hard to find one with helicopters chasing behind your tail. So, Danny decided to turn invisible before flying near a dark alleyway and transforming back. The blue rings formed from his waist, reverting himself to his raven black hair, icy blue eyes, and his usual attire.
"Well, guess today was a busy day," Danny murmured, to no one in particular. He walked out the alleyway, just to spot the fans running towards the direction to where they thought Phantom was located. Luck was not on their side today however; it was as if he disappeared from the face of the earth. Everybody wondered, where did Phantom go? Did he have a place to call home? A family?
Danny smiled, noting how the whole town was starting to like him and see him as, well, a hero! Maybe not for a few people. The red huntress still held a grudge against him from the time he let 'his dog' loose at Axion's lab, while the Fenton's never particularly liked ghosts from the beginning, convinced they were evil 'things' that didn't feel any emotions. That left the government agents, also known as the guys in white, wanting to subject the ghostboy to painful experiments whenever they had the chance. The good thing was, they'll never really manage to catch him. Especially now that he was known as a hero to many people around the world.
"I think I saw him go that way," Dash exclaimed, pointing to the direction leading to the arcade and pizza parlor. Paulina shook her head in response, poking the jock's arm in disagreement.
"No, no. I'm sure I saw the ghost boy go that way," she said, pointing in a completely different direction as the fans scattered all over the place, eager to be the first to find the invisible ghost. Everybody wanted the honor of meeting him in-person and taking a picture with him to show off to their friends. He was practically a celebrity. Heck, even celebrities were a fan of him!
Danny decided to walk back home, hoping to decrease the amount of attention he'd been getting lately. Although his house was pretty far from here, it was a beautiful day, perfect for a walk. Danny couldn't imagine the last time he experienced such tranquility. Why not use the given chance to do what any normal teenager would do?
Without a warning, Danny's phone rang from the inside of his jeans pocket, signaling a call from his best friend, Tucker. Before Danny could pick it up though, he noticed something strange in the street he was walking in.
Everybody was on their phones, their faces held captive in the bright device. It was like they were waiting for something shocking to happen and afraid that'll they'll miss something important if they left it for even a millisecond. Of course, being born in the twenty-first century, everybody would be on their phones, but this was different. The sight of all of them glued to their phones was not normal. But again, when was Amity Park ever normal?
The whole block was listening to what seemed to be a live news video. Although Danny couldn't tell what it was or why people seemed interested in it, he decided it was best to ignore it. He arrived home and opened the front door, completely forgetting the missed call by his best friend.
The house smelled of fudge, which was typical considering his father had a thing for sweets. He walked to the kitchen, checking out what they were having for dinner today, his stomach growling in process. He then remembered that he didn't have lunch today because he was 'fighting' the box ghost the whole time. His teachers weren't much help in the situation either because they didn't let him eat in the classroom without an explanation. But what was he supposed to say? I'm sorry, I was busy fighting some ghost? Ha, yeah right.
It was a Thursday, meaning tomorrow was Friday and the weekend was right around the corner. That didn't give a reason for the ghosts to take a break though. However, today seemed somewhat calmer than usual and Danny was convinced that nothing could ruin this day. Nothing.
"Mom? Dad? I'm home!" Danny announced, figuring they'd be proud since he usually came later at night. His curfew was at ten but he surprisingly managed to complete his ghost duties before then. That was a relief and Danny considering going to sleep early just for today. When was the last time he slept at nine pm? Probably before he got his ghost powers even. However, Danny rarely complained about it. If it meant keeping his hometown safe, then so be it. If he wouldn't protect them, who would?
"Come here, sweetie! Look what's on the news!" Maddie excitedly exclaimed, paying close attention to the working television in the kitchen. Danny curiously peeked in and when he found out his parents were too busy with the ghost stuff instead of making dinner, he sighed and walked to the refrigerator to prepare something to eat.
Danny took one quick look at the refrigerator before cringing at the first thing he saw. There was lots of stale Fenton toast and he didn't seem too fond of adding anything appetizing to the homemade bread, so he settled with a banana.
"Later mom, I'm gonna head to bed," Danny announced, peeling the skin of the banana, before taking one big bite. He didn't think they'd hear them so he was surprised by his parent's following actions. His father quickly looked back at him before grabbing onto one of his shoulders and pushing him forward to face the bright working screen.
"Danny boy, you've got to see this! This is about the ghost kid," Jack Fenton explained before diverting his attention back to the screen, hoping he didn't miss out anything important. Whatever it was, it seemed like everybody was excited and Danny's curiosity got the best of him. Sleep can wait. Everybody was acting weird ever since and he wanted to get to the bottom of this. After all, it did involve him. Well, half of him anyway.
However, Danny couldn't keep his eyes open. They were begging him to shut down and finish for the night. Danny decided to listen to his body for the first time as he got up and walked out the kitchen door without his parents stopping him again. He was sleepy and fighting it won't do him any good.
As Danny ascended the stairs to his room located on the left, he remembered something important; He forgot to call Tucker! He was so confused about earlier that he didn't realize he had a bunch of missed calls.
Three from Tucker and five from Sam. The number of times they called him made him frown with unease. Were they in trouble? Did they need his help? Of course, his friends were capable of taking care of themselves but there were still powerful ghosts out there. And the Fenton Thermos might not be enough.
Worry and anxiousness filled his throbbing head as he quickly pressed the call button, begging that someone would pick it up. He called Tucker first, knowing the techno-geek always had his PDA with him everywhere he went.
When all Danny received was a voicemail, his heart started beating faster as he his shaky hands scrolled down the list to call his goth friend. He waited and waited, hoping that he'd hear the voice of one of his best friends pick up and tell him that everything was fine but no luck. Today was going so well and he should've known better than to jinx it.
Danny tossed his phone carelessly on his bed, rubbing his temple before sighing out loud. He couldn't take it anymore. He had to see them, even if it was for a split second. He had to make sure they were okay and that nothing bad happened to them while he was away. If anything were to happen to them, he knew it would be his fault. It was his duty to protect to them, and if he couldn't protect the people he cared about, could he really call himself a hero?
Just as he was about to transform into Danny Phantom, his cellphone rang, indicating an incoming call. He stopped mid-transformation and ran to it, afraid the sound would stop and he wouldn't hear it again. With his hands still shaking, he picked it up without reading who the dialer was.
"Hey, man-- Hey why do you sound like you just finished running a marathon?" His best-friend joked from the other side of the line.
"TUCK! You scared me! Don't do that ever again. Why did you and Sam call me? Why weren't you responding? Why wasn't Sam responding? Did something happen? I swear I'll go kick this ghost's butt!" Before he knew it, the teenage ghost was spilling questions everywhere at his friend who was getting confused by the second.
"Okay, okay calm down! I was taking a shower, you don't expect me to bring my PDA in the bathroom, do you?" His friend questioned as Danny stifled a laugh.
"I mean, I wouldn't be surprised..." He replied as his friend rolled his eyes even though he couldn't see it. Give it to Danny to make a comical remark in serious situations.
"Anyways, Sam's grounded so she can't use her phone or any device, for the matter of fact. I wanted to talk to you about something important but that can wait for school tomorrow," his friend explained as Danny sighed heavily, feeling relieved and somewhat confused at the same time.
"No, no, I wanna know now. Does this have something to do with the recent news everybody's been interested about, regarding me?" Danny questioned, demanding he get a full explanation.
"Yes but let's wait till tomorrow. You sound pretty tired, plus we have a chem test tomorrow that you should probably study for, " his friend finally said, before quickly hanging up on the line. Danny just stared at his cellphone in confusion, not knowing what to say.
He so badly wanted to open up a new tab and search for the news everybody was talking about but didn't feel the energy too. Heck, he didn't even have enough energy left to study for the chemistry test he had tomorrow. He knew that if he searched up the news right now, he would definitely spend lots of time thinking about it and end up sleeping till midnight, which is not what he wanted. He promised himself and his friends that he'll take some time to rest, and there was nothing stopping him now.
So Danny finally agreed to go to sleep and not think much about it. After all, how bad can it possibly be? Obviously not too bad considering Tucker didn't seem to be in a rush to tell him. It was probably about a rumour that the ghost boy had a secret sibling or a girlfriend or some other rumour
However, deep down, Danny knew something was terribly wrong, and his exhaustion won over him that night.
~~~
Danny walked to school the next day, his eyes glowing bright blue. Everybody noticed something weird about Danny. He looked more...cheerful. It's as if someone sprinkled magic dust on him the night before or something. Although nobody knew the reason why he was acting like this, his friends had some idea.
It's no surprise Danny had a good sleep yesterday. It was written all over his face. The way his eyes sparkled or how he smiled more often was enough evidence for the pair to arrive at such a conclusion. It even looked like the bags that were forming under Danny's eyes have finally begun to disappear.
"Well, someone's in a good mood," Sam teasingly said, as she watched her friend take out his books from his locker and shut it, not minding how weirdly everybody was looking at him.
"I guess I just feel a bit energized, " Danny replied, taking an apple from his backpack and munching onto it casually. Though his friends were glad that Danny finally felt good in a while, they couldn't get rid of the nagging feeling inside of them that forced them to ruin the teenage boy's mood. The news could've been any other day yet it decided yesterday would be a perfect time, in sync with Danny's happy mood.
And Danny noticed how they tried to fake their smiles. Although Danny was sure they were happy for him, he was also sure that there was something wrong, that his friends wouldn't tell him about. Sam and Tucker wouldn't stop shooting weird glances at each other, both of them not wanting to ruin the boy's mood. He was finally happy and the stupid news couldn't just come in and ruin it.
"Should we tell him?" Tucker whispered to Sam nervously as she sighed, fidgeting with her black and green striped skirt.
"We have to, we don't have a choice. He would figure it out sooner or later and we have to be there when he does. You don't know what can happen," Sam whispered back as Danny shot them another confused stare.
Danny didn't like the look his friends possessed. They looked worried about something like they wanted to say something to him but they just couldn't. He knew it had something to do with the news yesterday but why did it seem so bad? I mean, everyone else seemed excited and happy, starting with the students of Casper High. At this point, it was annoying him, and he wanted nothing more than to find out.
"Guys, what's wrong?" Danny soberly asked but when they wouldn't say anything, he grabbed their arms and dragged them to the storage room, where they held their secret meetings at. Danny thought that maybe they couldn't say anything since there were people around but here, it was just them.
"You have two minutes before the bell rings. Spill," he demanded as Tucker gulped, trying to avoid making eye contact with him, while the goth just scratched her arms nervously, glancing at Danny now and then. Twenty seconds have passed by and the pair made no effort in saying anything to Danny. He glared at them before taking out his phone, an idea forming in his head.
"If you guys don't say anything for three more seconds, I'll leave and read what's been worrying you guys, alone," Danny warned, unlocking the password to his phone before opening up Google and showing them the screen. Sam and Tucker knew that he was being serious.
"One..."
"Two..."
"Thr-" his friends quickly interrupted him, grabbing the phone from his hand.
"Fine, fine! We'll tell you, jeez. So that's why ghosts enjoy fighting with you," Tucker murmured as he pushed Sam, motioning her to talk.
"Well, yesterday, when you finally finished off Technus and we took care of the box ghost, the news said that someone was joining us that would be giving valuable information about the ghost boy. He seemed pretty serious about it, like it was some sort of villainous plan. We couldn't quite tell who it was because he was wearing a black hood to hide his face, but his voice was really familiar. The dangerous thing though, was that he was about to reveal your secret identity," Sam finally spat out, looking up to see Danny's face paling.
Indeed, he was worried. Just how much did they know? Who was this person and why would they do something like that? Sure he had enemies but what would they gain from doing such? He knew it was something bad but not this much! That explained the excitement in everyone as they were finally about to figure out their hero's identity!
"That's not all," Tucker added, earning a frustrated groan by Danny. "He was busy yesterday and he said he would tell us the information today! He was pretty serious about it too and said he had enough evidence to prove it. We were hoping you'd visit him yesterday but you seemed tired."
"Guys, this is serious! If I'd known yesterday, I would've been less worried and had a chat with this 'mystery person'. We could've figured out who it was by now and already talked with him. And the fact that I had to force you guys to tell me right now makes me even more irritated," Danny exclaimed, clenching his fists, ready to blast the first ghost that showed up right now. His friends noticed this as they looked at him with nothing but guilt, but said nothing.
"But," Tucker trailed off as Danny looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. "We kind of figured out who this mysterious person is. Yesterday actually, with the help of myself, of course."
"Who?" Danny quickly asked, eager to find out the culprit. He knew it had to be a ghost because they were the only ones who knew about his secret. Plus, the fact that this person was being shady made things even more suspicious.
"Vlad Masters," the two said at the same time, earning a shocked yet angered expression by their friend.
"That fruit loop?! But why?! Doesn't he know I can expose him too? What's he going to gain if he tells everyone my secret? Money? He's already rich and can easily get some if he wanted to! Fame? He's known as a billionaire for heaven's sake," Danny yelled furiously, angry that his arch-enemy would do such a cruel thing.
"We honestly don't know and that's why we're waiting for you to pay him a visit," Sam explained as Danny nodded, calming himself.
"Okay, I'll go during lunchtime. I can't waste any more time," he said as his friends nodded in agreement, the school bell ringing at the same time. His friends exited the small room, comforting Danny and telling him everything will be alright.
"How did you guys even manage to figure out it was Vlad?" Danny asked confused, the thought of it flashing in his head. Tucker grinned, smiling at his PDA while their goth friend rolled her eyes.
"Sweet ol' technology," Tucker said and that was all the conformation Danny needed.
~~~
"You got everything ready?" Tucker asked, earning a nod by Danny.
They were all currently in Danny's parent's lab, loading the specter speeder with ghost equipment such as the boomerang, specter deflector and some other ghost weapons they thought would help them. Vlad was a dangerous man and you can never predict his moves, just like in chess. He was sneaky, forming evil plans day and night though Danny was sure he did other normal human stuff too. Although Danny managed to beat him continuously, he was not someone you wanted to mess around with or get on his bad side. He has the power to make someone's life hell if he wanted too with the snap of his fingers. That was speaking from experience, the time Danny decided to play a little prank on him.
Right when the bell for lunch rang, his friends told their parents they were 'going out for lunch' and that they'll come back just in time for class. Danny told them that there was no need and that he can take care of himself but his friends insisted that they do. They wouldn't let their friend go to some crazy Fruitloop's house who also, by the way, wanted him as his evil apprentice, tried killing his father and hooking up with his mother. It was too dangerous.
"Guys, you need to eat your lunch, honestly I'll be fine, " Danny had said the moment they left school property.
"You haven't eaten lunch for three days and are lecturing us about our diet? Yeah, not happening," Sam stated annoyingly as he rolled his eyes before transforming into Phantom and picking both his friends up.
"Plus, I got us food. You need some calories, Sam needs to eat her veggies and most importantly, I need my meat. I can't live a single hour without my daily feeding," Tucker stated as he patted his backpack, showing them all the food they needed was in there. Danny smiled softly, seeing how much his friends cared for him. He couldn't wish for better friends.
"Of course you can't. But I don't think there's a bathroom to where we're going..." Sam trailed off, jokingly teasing him as Tucker scoffed, crossing his arms just to hide his embarrassment.
"Says the one who eats grass and soil for lunch," Tucker scoffed as Sam glared at him, not liking the choice of words he was using to describe her lunch.
"Says the one who's eating animals for lunch when they're meant to be free," Sam replied, earning a cold stare from Tucker.
"Says the one who-" before Tucker can complete the sentence and have an argument breakthrough in the middle of the air, Danny coughed loudly to bring back their attention.
"Guys, please. Remember the last time we had this discussion? Let's fix this situation and then you guys can start another riot," Danny dryly said, rolling his eyes at his friends as they sighed, remembering their current situation. Before any of them got to say anything, Danny quickly landed them to a safe spot near the FentonWorks before reverting to his human self.
"Come on, let's go! We need to head to my parent's lab," he said, forcing them to tag along.
And so here they were, finally finished packing the necessary equipment needed for the quick trip.
"Hey, where's Jazz anyway? Surprised she didn't mention any of this stuff to you," Sam asked curiously as Danny sighed sadly, remembering his loving sister.
"She's at this college open house for one week. I think it has something to do with showing the students around the campus and such. You should've seen how happy she was when she first got their booklet, mentioning the many libraries it included. She was about to burst into tears of joy," Danny chuckled, smiling at the memory of his sister. Yes, he missed her a lot. No matter how pushy and protective she got, he cared for her and missed her and that's when he realized he needed her sometimes. She was his older sister after all, and just because he had ghost powers didn't mean he didn't need her help or support. He couldn't wait till Monday to see her again.
"You miss her, don't you?" Sam asked softly, smiling as Danny nodded, noticing he spaced out for a pretty long time.
"Yeah, it's pretty quiet without her in the house," he jokingly said, as he got into the Specter Speeder, reaching out a hand for his friends to take and get in.
"Should we tell her?" Tucker asked, referring to all the events that occurred in the past twenty-four hours, as Danny shook his head.
"No. The least we need right now is for another good mood to be ruined. I called her yesterday morning and she seemed pretty content right now. I don't want her to worry, better yet, freak out when we tell her we're visiting Vlad right now. She'll book the first ticket back here as soon as possible. I'm being serious here," Danny said as he noticed his friends giggling and he couldn't help but smile.
"Okay well then, let's go. Wait, um, how do we know he's in Wisconsin? He could be anywhere since that rich jerk has mansions all over the place. We can't go through all of them with this much time left," Sam explained, showing him her wristwatch as Danny's face lit up, an idea forming in his head.
"I think I know how we can figure out where he's staying," he mischievously said before getting out of the ghost vehicle and running upstairs to the kitchen floor. After a couple of minutes, he came running back down, a neon pink sticky note in his hand.
"Last month, he gave my mom his phone number," he said disgustedly, handing them the untouched paper. Of course, his mother didn't bother calling him but it didn't get thrown out either. He thought he might've needed his phone number in case he felt the urge to annoy him. He was glad that he did keep it.
"Ew, can't he take the hint your mom isn't interested?" Sam shuddered, looking at the pink paper like it was some sort of contagious bacteria.
"Apparently not. He's a fruitloop after all," Danny stated, shivering slightly in response. The man seriously needed therapy. He should've used internet dating or better yet, gotten a cat to keep him company. He did live alone after all.
"Wait, I think I know where you're getting at. You want us to call and have one of us keep him in company so he doesn't hang up while I trace the call using my PDA. Smart," Tucker explained thoroughly, preparing his device as Danny grinned.
"Correct, except for one thing. We can't have one of us call him or that'll be too suspicious. He'll definitely know we're planning something. We'll use the device my parents created to translate what ghosts say, and make it sound like some sort of commercial or something," Danny explained, as Sam smirked, cracking her knuckles.
"So prank calling? I like it"
~~~
They spent ten whole minutes laughing. Whenever they called Vlad, they wouldn't get to complete one full sentence before bursting into laughter. The good thing was that Tucker managed to track his location so they didn't waste much time. Vlad was getting irritated by the second and what angered him the most was that he didn't know who was calling him.
"Vlad's smart, but he can be clueless sometimes," Tucker stated, still working on the location as Danny and Sam grinned in agreement.
"This is internet dating for old men. Would you like to register?"
"We heard you're lonely. Wanna hook up with some sexy women today?"
"This is Petsmart's. Care for a pet, perhaps a cute kitten to keep you company?"
The pranks were endless and in the end, Danny was afraid they could've gotten caught. However, he just smiled toothily, knowing he didn't care if Vlad found out or not. Right now, the PDA will just take them to wherever Vlad goes.
"Ready guys?" Danny asked as he unlocked the Specter Speeder.
"We sure are," his friends said at the same time, still grinning from the pranks they did earlier.
~~~
"Okay, I take that back. Vlad isn't a billionaire, he's a trillionaire. How much did he spend on all this?" Tucker gasped, his face laced with shock as he explored the outside of the mansion. To say Vlad was rich is an understatement. He was loaded. But to be fair, he started his business career by cheating on people.
"Looks can be deceiving," Sam replied dryly, sighing at the gold and green exterior of the mansion. The man was obsessed with the Packers team. One of three of his obsessions he couldn't buy no matter how much money he had.
"What's the point in having all of this money and not being happy? Sometimes, I wonder if he's happy with his life, excluding the fact that he can't have my mom," Danny stated as he took the hands of both his friends and turned them invisible. They would have to face him sooner or later but for now, he wanted to remain invisible in case there were any anti-ghost attacks. Vlad was predictable when it came to traps.
"Must be sad, man. I mean, yeah money can solve a person's desires and needs, but it can't buy family nor friends," he stated as his friends nodded in agreement, slipping through the huge thick entrance doors and to the front foyer.
"Apparently, he thought money can buy my mom," Danny mumbled to himself, sighing as they slipped by another door, one that led to the untouched guest rooms. Danny didn't know why Vlad bothered having guest rooms if he never had company over.
Tucker's PDA was now beeping at a quicker pace, meaning they were close to him and that's when Danny decided to remain quiet. Vlad's surprise traps were the least he needed right now.
"Woah," the trio murmured as they passed by the man's private study. It was bigger than the other rooms and decorated with expensive and elegant old-fashioned furniture. There was a bookshelf along with an antique table and an exorbitant laptop neatly placed on top.
"Okay guys, I'm gonna turn visible now. Try to search for any clues on how to access Vlad while I look around the other rooms. If something strange happens, you know what to do," Danny stated, pointing to the Fenton earphones in his ears as his friends nodded understandingly. Tucker went to access the man's laptop while Sam flipped through the books aligned on the bookshelf, pushing them back in their places when finished to avoid suspicion. Danny was at the other side of the room, phasing through the wall to see if there was some sort of passageway that led to a secret domain.
"Um, Danny. You should see this," The techno-geek murmured, pointing to the laptop he managed to find the password to. Danny floated to where Tucker was seated while the goth followed curiously to see what disturbed the boy so much.
"Ew, what the heck Vlad!" Danny growled, shielding his eyes from the laptop's bright pink and purple background. There were photos of his mom everywhere he clicked and the techno-geek was afraid to look each time he clicked on a new link or document. Who knew what other photos he had. Danny didn't even want to know where he got them from so he refrained himself from asking the question. His curiosity can wait.
"I mean, he practically stalked Danny for who knows how long, and then tried to clone him so I'm honestly not that surprised," Sam said, gagging a bit when Tucker clicked on another document, filled with pictures of Danny's mother.
"Okay, I don't think we'll find that much here. We need to get to his laboratory where he kidnapped and kept me in once," Danny explained as Tucker nodded, quick to close the laptop shut.
"I cannot unsee this," he stated, shuddering as he pushed himself up before rubbing his aching temple. The man was seriously crazy if he thought Danny's mother would leave Jack and come join him. Everybody knew Maddie and Jack were in love with each other, dating back to their college days.
"Has your dad considered creating a memory machine where you can erase disturbing images?" Sam asked casually as Danny shrugged, checking the other folders to see if there was anything else that led to the secret lab.
"No and I don't want to. It can be dangerous if it's held in the wrong hands, especially my dad's," Danny replied as Tucker nodded in agreement.
"When has your dad ever created something that didn't mess you up?" he said as Sam chuckled but then shook her head and took out the boomerang that was hanging by her hips.
"Except for this one. And the Fenton Thermos if it's not in Jazz's hands," she said, smiling at the memory of Danny getting stuffed into a thermos for two whole hours.
"Oh my god, that was so funny!" Tucker exclaimed as he started laughing, grabbing his stomach from impact. Danny frowned, still annoyed by that particular day as he gave him a cold glare.
"There aren't any bullies here to stuff you into lockers but I'm still in my ghost form," Danny warned darkly as Tucker immediately stopped laughing, earning a satisfied smirk by Danny.
"You gotta admit, Tucker's right. It was funny-but before you say anything, let's get out of here and search somewhere else. This place is starting to give me the creeps," Sam said, shivering at the creepy statues hanging near the fireplace as the two boys nodded in agreement. The place was indeed unpleasant and not somewhere someone, even a horror fan would consider living in. Danny gently picked up his two best friends by the waist and phased them through the locked door and into the dark hallway.
The trio was nearing, and they knew sooner or later, they'd come across their arch-enemy. Danny decided it would be safe now to turn visible since they were close to him but he took precautions regardless. He then placed his two friends gently on the ground, hovering only a couple of inches above it
"You know, if he weren't such a crazy jerk, I wouldn't have minded using his interior design," Sam said absentmindedly, admiring the Gothic wallpaper used in the hallways and the 19th century furniture matching to decorate it.
"Are you kidding? This place is creepy, man, you said so yourself! I don't know if I'd rather sleepover here or in an abandoned hospital," Tucker shivered, cautiously taking a step backward, preparing himself for something to pop up. Sam chuckled at his behaviour before resting her hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.
Meanwhile, the young halfa wasn't paying any attention to the bickering going on between his two best friends. He hated to admit it but he felt a bit...anxious. He wanted nothing more than to get this over with and go back home, even if it meant sitting in Mr. Lancer's class. His friends noticed Danny's odd behaviour as they gave him a warm smile, silently telling him that he's got nothing to worry about and that they'll stay by him. Danny felt somewhat relieved he brought his friends with him.
"Okay guys, Vlad's behind this door right to the left," Tucker informed them, paying close attention to his device before pointing at the correct direction.
The first thing they noticed when they entered the unnerving room was the chilly atmosphere contained within it. The trio rubbed their shoulders in an attempt to get rid of the cold air, even Danny who was in his ghost form. The place seemed to look like an office. It had a very old yet strong wooden table in the room with matching antique chairs in front of it. There were bookshelves, filled with many books along with a tall velvet lamp and coffee table to the right of the room.
"Why, hello there Daniel. What a totally unexpected surprise. How are you?" a familiar voice coldly said, turning the massive chair to face the trio. Danny didn't know why, but the man's voice alone sickened him. It made him feel like some sort of prey, like a puppet he controlled.
The mid-forty-year-old man held his signature evil smirk along, wearing his usual outfit consisting of a white oxford shirt, red tie, and matching black dress pants and jacket. His grey hair was smoothly tied in a low ponytail that complimented the man's attire. He held the usual demeanour of arrogance and power, the only thing different being the creature sitting on his lap.
"A...cat? So you did take my advice," Daniel murmured, not helping but let out the grin tugging by the edge of his lips. The man frowned unimpressed, stroking the cat more fiercely, not noticing how his eyes flashed a dangerous red.
"Hmm, why this is my sister's cat. Thought I might do her a favour and take care of it," he merely said, waving off the topic as Tucker raised an eyebrow in amused confusion.
"But you don't have a sister," he said as his two friends giggled while the man just grinned back in amusement, placing the chubby cat on the floor. They watched the white creature scurry past their feet and to the open door behind them without a second glance.
"Ah, so I see I'm not the only one who 'stalks' someone, am I right ?" The man chuckled softly, pointing to the door behind them. "However, I'm not able to continue this lovely conversation much further no matter how much I enjoyed. I believe you guys have a class starting in what, twenty minutes, hmm?"
"Plasmius. We've come to talk to you about the current news. I believe you're aware of that?" Danny calmly said, de-transforming back to his human form, making sure not to instantly rage at the man responsible for his mood being ruined. That earned a shocked, yet faked, glance by no other than the rich man.
"Ah yes. That's why your friends need to be cooperative and leave my office right now so we can...discuss this certain matter," the man replied smugly, pushing himself up from his chair before placing both his arms behind his back. The action was meant to cause intimidation to the two teenagers, however, the reaction was not what the man hoped for.
"Do you think we're that stupid to-" Sam quickly inserted, the previous calmness overtook by pure hatred towards the man. He'd already hurt Danny enough and she knew he wouldn't stop till he got what he wanted.
"Sam, I'll be okay. You guys can wait just outside the door if you like," Danny stated softly, gesturing towards the door as Tucker quickly took Sam's arm and dragged her out the door to avoid further disagreement. When both half-ghosts were sure the door was shut by the small 'click' it made, Vlad dusted the invisible dust on his black suit before taking a seat back, letting his shoulders relax in the seat's comfort. He motioned Danny to the empty seat in front of him but Danny remained standing there with a glare, not wanting to come any closer to the man.
"It's been a long time since we've talked. I missed you, little badger," the man cheekily said, earning a harder glare by the boy. Danny never really liked the nickname his enemy called him but he couldn't get him to stop.
"What's the meaning of this?! Why are you trying to make my life miserable than it already is, fruitloop? What good are you going to benefit from revealing my identity? You know, I can expose you too! We'll see how my mom likes you after that. I know I would love to see her reaction," Danny exploded, his anger finally released but all he received was a light-hearted chuckle. That ticked off the teenage boy even more, encouraging him to continue the rant but the man held one of his hands up.
"Daniel. I had this planned weeks ago, you think this was something I would plan out of the blue? I was expecting this. However, your earlier prank amused me. You should be thankful I decided not to get my deserved revenge," the man said darkly, his eyes flickering red before returning to normal. By the way, the man was looking at Danny, he seemed pretty ticked off by the sayings of the pranks. Danny smirked, knowing that he at least got him mad but he quickly went back to the conversation.
"But-"
"Oh Daniel, don't you understand? I would benefit so much from revealing your identity. So much. Do you really think I came to such a conclusion in one night? But of course, you wouldn't understand, you never did," the man said, emphasizing the last phrase before calmly getting up and walking to the bookshelf nearest to him.
"I don't-"
"Listen closely Daniel, for I will not repeat this again. What do you think will happen after I reveal your identity, hmm? If you haven't realized yet, the guys in white are hot in your trail, not wasting any time when they spot you. Once they find out who you really are, they wouldn't stop till they capture you and take you in for painful experiments, those of which I, which might come out as a surprise, don't want to see you in."
"Like you'd care-"
"I'm not finished talking Daniel, don't interrupt me. That's only one of the people who wouldn't take your secret too well. Let's talk about the red huntress, Valerie. Very determined young lady, hmm? She wouldn't stop till you're dead. Just imagine her shock when she realizes the person she's hunting was also the boy she used to like. Or still likes, actually. Oh, the drama," The man continued, faking a dramatic expression before returning to his usual expression.
"Wait how did you-"
"Ah and let's talk about your parents. My favourite part. They're ghost hunters, Daniel. Ghost hunters. You know what that means, don't you? They hunt ghosts for a living, hated them all their lives. I'd know more than you since I've known them the longest. You've heard them yourself, stating how much they want to destroy the 'ghost boy', multiple times. Surprised it hasn't affected you that much. Aren't you hurt? What makes you think that they'll accept you, huh Daniel? They believe ghosts have no feelings, that they can't feel pain nor love. When they find out their own son is one of the many species they hate, how do you think they'll react? Take you in for a hug? Are you sure they'll accept you and continue with their lives knowing there's a ghost living under the same roof as them?"
"But-"
"But, let's say for instance they somehow do accept you. Hypothetically, of course. How are you so sure they'll look at you the same way they did before? How are you sure they'll remember to cover up their disgust by looking at you day and night for the rest of their lives. Let's say you loathe something so much and then you have to look at it for the rest of your life, pretending nothing's wrong. See the problem in this, dear boy?"
"I don't believe you, Plasmius! You're doing all this to mess with my brain," Danny exclaimed hotly, pushing the possible thoughts away and focusing on his anger towards the man casually flipping through an old book, a ghost of a smile playing on his lips.
"You know what I'm saying is true, Daniel. Neither your fans, friends or sister will help you get through this. None of them will help to ease the pain you're in when everyone else rejects you, leaving you helplessly alone. Count my words when I say this. I'm warning you of the consequences of when I reveal your identity here," he said as the boy growled ready to shoot an ectoplasmic ball at the man. The man was seriously starting to tick him off. None of it made sense, and he knew none of it was true. That would never happen.
"I don't have to listen to what you say so save your breath, Plasmius. Your tricks don't work on me," the angered boy growled as the man chuckled, taking a few steps towards him, his face coaxed with amusement.
"You don't have to listen to what I say, Daniel. I'm giving you a choice here. Either I reveal your identity and your town disowns you or..." the man trailed off, the teenage boy still waiting for an answer. He was confused, though he was expecting a catch from this. Vlad wouldn't just reveal his identity without a good purpose.
"Or?"
"Or you can join me. Now before you start ranting on how you'll never join me and calling me silly nicknames, listen to what I have to say for three minutes. Trust me when I say this Daniel, it's better for both of us. Think of all the opportunities, the possibilities of having you by my side. I can teach you everything and all you have to do is renounce your idiot father. It's that simple," the man explained, taking another step toward the boy as he took a step back, not wanting to be near the man. He was at this point disgusted with the older halfa, wanting to rip out the ugly smirk off his face. Did he really think he can sway him with a couple of words?
"Nice try, Plasmius. You can fool anyone, including the president, but you can't fool me. You never will," the boy said, as the older man shrugged, not affected by the younger halfa's words, taking yet another menacing step towards him. The boy felt alarmed, taking a further step back until his back was touching the purple and black decorated wall.
"This isn't a joke Daniel. Either way, you'll come back to me, asking yourself why you didn't join me before. When I do tell your secret, nobody, and I mean nobody will approve of you. No one will be able to save you from who you are. You wouldn't have a place to call home anymore when your parents disown you from your house. You'll be lost and come here, knowing I'm the only one who's able to understand you. Whether you choose to believe me or not, it's your choice, Daniel. I'm not pressuring you to join me, I'm just saying it's more likely this would happen," the man finished off as he took another calm step towards the younger halfa. However, Danny at this point didn't know what to say or respond to the man's talk. He wouldn't even move away, even when they were only one meter further apart.
"T-that's not true. Stop messing with my brain!" Danny yelled, firing another sloppy shot meant to hurt the older halfa but traveled to his right, hitting the antique chair. The man didn't flinch and took one last step, grinning at the younger halfa. He knew that what he had said was true but Daniel just didn't want to believe it.
"I'm not messing with your brain little badger. You know how much I care for you. However, I couldn't just let you continue life without knowing about this first so that when the time comes, you don't get hurt. Life is harsh, and was pretty harsh to me ever since the accident," the man said before taking a glance at the little boy in front of him. Oh, how deeply he wanted him by his side, to be his apprentice, and maybe, maybe his son. But the teenager was too stubborn!
"I-I'll expose you!"
"With what proof?! How would anyone believe that billionaire, Vlad Masters, being a half-ghost super-villain who fights the ghost boy day and night? Tell me, who would? Certainly not your father, " the man muttered, annoyed by the weak threat the boy used against him.
"..."
"I'll wait till five today to get a call with the decision you made. You have my phone number. When you don't call, I'm guessing you want to do it the hard way and I'll go live on the News Channel at six. Your life depends on you, Daniel," The man said as he inched closer and placed a hand on his head, causing him to flinch. However, he didn't make an effort to move back, still processing the information he was given.
"W-why are you doing this to me, Vlad? Can't we make a deal? I leave you alone and you leave me alone? Why do you always make things so complicated?" The young halfa yelled, furious by the man's actions as the man lifted off his hand, only to place it on his shoulder. The man dropped to his left knee, looking at the boy's pale blue eyes.
"I'm afraid I cannot, Daniel. I'm giving you time to think about this, alone. After all, it's a lot to take in for one day. I'm surprised that thought never crossed your head," the man chuckled as Danny shook the man's hand from him, disgusted that he let him take advantage of the situation. He wouldn't let his enemy see the satisfaction of seeing him break in front of him. However, Danny couldn't help but believe the man's words. Why did it sound so...true?
"Goodbye... Vlad," the young boy murmured, not having the energy to fight the older halfa today. All he wanted to do was go to bed and think this through. To make things worse, he had class after this, science to be exact, and he knew he would be barely focusing in class.
The older halfa sighed, seeing the teenage boy take off, leaving him alone in the room. He truly wanted the boy beside him, someone who was like him. But he knew Daniel was stubborn, and would be hard to obtain. He just had to break through it.
However, the older halfa was convinced that Daniel would come running to him today, if not, tomorrow when the news has reached all over the world.
Yes, he would come. He would stay here. His plan had to work. They worked on other people so why wouldn't it work on a fourteen-year-old teenage boy?
Maybe because he was special.
~~~
A/N: Due to how long this story was, I decided to split it in half. I'm still working on the second chapter but rest assured, it will be continued on the following chapter soon :)
Word Count: 8 554