Danny Phantom Fan Fiction ❯ Glitches in Time ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter 8

"Beware!" A ghostly voice wailed.

Six voices groaned in unison as the remaining four humans jumped.

A short ghost wearing overalls appearing before them, "I am the Box Ghost! I have Power over all Containers Cardboard and Square! Behold the awesome Bubble-wrap of Death!"

"We know!" Six voices cried out in exasperation.

The legendary Box Ghost blinked at the aggravated expressions on a majority of those he threatened, three he recognised instantly, two others looked darn familiar and the sixth voice was threateningly well-known as well. He had not stumbled upon a bunch of new ghosts to threaten but a group of hunters!

His red eyes darting frantically for a way to escape from this predicament he noticed the reason for the two gothic looking Phantoms looking so familiar—they wore Clockwork's insignia. Okay, it was official. His afterlife was about to become a living nightmare.

"Beware!" He cried out before zipping away.

Two of the group sighed, eight others exchanged strange looks.

"Okay, that was strange." Star commented.

"Yeah, really strange," Danny said in puzzlement, "Usually he sticks around and fights."

"You mean he actually sticks around and fights you?" Danielle said incredulously.

"What, he doesn't for you?" Danny asked in bafflement.

"No," Danielle pouted. "He never does."

"Be thankful then," Valerie commented as she rolled her green eyes at the downcast expression on Ghost-Girl's face.

"Although," Danielle said as her expression brightened, "There was one time when we actually had time to chase him down."

"Oh man," Samuel moaned in remembered pleasure, "That was great."

"Yeah," Danielle agreed with a similar blissful expression on her face.

Three best friends exchanged looks at the nostalgic expressions on the two future Phantom's faces. Okay, it was official, Danny's future children were defiantly… well weird was the kindest way to put it.

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"How much longer?" Paulina pouted as the group continued to tromp through the Ghost-Zone, "My feet hurt."

"Wuss," Sam muttered.

"Phantom, will you carry me?" Paulina asked seductively, casting a flirtatious look at Phantom.

Danny's face turned beat-red as Sam saw red. Dash himself was ticked off with the way Paulina kept trying to cozy up to the Ghost-Boy.

The two ghostly siblings exchanged communicative looks, as interesting as a catfight would be to watch, they did not have time for one unfortunately. Before they could intervene however, something else occurred.

"Ah little badger," a cultured masculine voice said a ghost floated up from below the ledge they stood upon. "I see you've been practicing your duplication skills."

Danny, Sam, and Tucker blanched at the older ghost's appearance. Valerie also did a double take, recognising the ghost from when Pariah Dark had tossed Amity Park into the Ghost-Zone.

Vlad Plasmius quirked an eye upwards as he got a better look at the three Phantoms, "My mistake, it seems you have not yet developed that ability."(1)

"What do you want Plasmius," Danny growled with great displeasure.

"Why Daniel, what makes you think I want anything?" Vlad said with false surprise as he looked curiously for a moment at the two gothic looking Phantoms, one male and one female. Defiantly disproving his earlier assumption that Daniel had divided into more forms.

"You're never in the Ghost-Zone without a reason. You never bother me without a reason." Danny responded.

"Ah, your young teenage mind begins to learn," Vlad patronised, also looking briefly at the humans accompanying the other halfling.

Danny's vocal response was a growl as he glared at his archenemy, green eyes becoming more yellow in hue.

"I'll say it again, what are you looking for?" Danny growled.

"Now I know where you get it from," Danielle muttered aside to her brother, a snorted < i>Keh!</ i> was his response.

"Well if you insist," Vald said imperiously as he ignored the byplay between the two unknowns, "I'm searching for the Spear of Longinus—not that you with your uneducated mind has any idea what that is."

"I thought I told you to hide that thing!" Samuel hissed to his sister.

"I did!" She protested looking affronted, "It's in my closet!"

"End of discussion," he muttered as he turned aside.

"What are you talking about?" Vald finally demanded; irritated with the muttered conversation the two ghosts were having and not showing the proper respect for a ghost of his age, power, and stature.

"The Lancea Longini." Samuel said blankly, what else would he be talking about?

Plasmius's crimson eyes widened as he exclaimed in shock, "You have the Spear of Longinus?!"

"No," Samuel muttered in exasperation, didn't adults catch anything? "I though we just settled that issue—it's in Danielle's closet."

"You have the Spear?" Vlad declared disbelievingly as he pointed at the female ghost.

"I do believe Samuel just said that," Danielle answered in a very 'Duh!' tone of voice.

Vlad's expression was of annoyance as he said snidely. "I see... and how did children such as you acquire such an object of power?"

"Let me see..." Danielle said seriously, totally oblivious to the insulting innuendo hidden within the words as she began to tick of the points on her fingers, "wake up in the morning, go to work, get our assignment, nock off Hitler, get the spear, go home."

Vlad blinked.

Danielle ponder thoughtfully for a few more moments before giving a decisive nod, "Yep, that about sums it up."

Samuel snickered at the taken aback expression on Plasmius's face as his sister just looked at the dark halfling guilelessly.

"That was not what I meant child," Vald began in annoyance.

Danielle scowled as she gave an exasperated huff and scolded, "Then say what you mean and mean what you say!"

"What I meant," Plasmius continued, "is that children such as yourself should not have the Spear, it should be in more responsible hands—like my own."

"Hey! We're responsible!" Danielle pouted childishly. Samuel just shook his head at his sister as his eyes rolled in exasperation.

Danny blinked at the interaction between his future children and his present enemy. This had to be the first time he had ever seen Plasmius surprised, confused or even one could say baffled by anything. But as with anything involving Vlad, things soon turned nasty.

"I think you should give the Spear to me." Vald said with a hard look on his face.

"Why?" Danielle questioned with all innocence.

"You will give the Spear of Longinus to me or I will take it from you." Vald sneered.

Danielle blinked, still looking rather clueless. Turning to her brother she asked, "Did he say what I think he said?"

"Yes," Samuel huffed in exasperation.

"Oh... well... Make me." Danielle huffed childishly as she stuck her nose in the air.

Samuel sighed, his shoulders slumping as he drifted out of the line of fire.

"With pleasure," Vald practically purred, raising his hand and throwing an ectoplasm ball of red light.

"Look out!" Danny shouted as he lunged forward, wrapping an arm around Danielle's waist and dragging her out of the ball's trajectory.

"Hey!" Danielle protested, wriggling free, "You're not suppose to interfere!"

"Yes Daniel, interfering is not allowed." Vlad said with an evil grin, if the ghost girl wanted to fight without Daniel's help that was fine with him.

"But—"

"Don't worry about it," Samuel said as he clamped a hand onto Danny's shoulder and dragged him to the side where the other humans stood. "Just watch."

"Now where were we? Oh yes, you were throwing an ectoplasm ball at me," Danielle recapped cheerfully.

"That is correct," Vlad agreed, shrugging at the ghost's apparent wish to be severally beaten. Another and this time stronger ectoplasm ball building in his hand. Almost casually he raised his hand and threw it at the girl who stood unmoving in its path. Well this battle would be short.

The deadly ball of red energy reached Danielle—who caught it.

Two jaws dropped simultaneously, they had never seen any ghost catch another ghost's ectoplasm attack. Many ghosts swore it couldn't even been done and was nothing more then hearsay!(2)

Danielle looked at her opponent as she drew her hand to the side, still holding the red ball of energy within her grasp. She seemed changed somehow, gone was that perky cheerleader. In her place was something else, something else that was almost... frightening.

"We are born as we are—not created." Danielle said in a deadly clam voice, all expression gone from her face. She tossed the red ectoplasm ball upwards, letting it fall, as in one smooth motion she grasped her staff in both hands and swung it like a bat smashing the attack back at Vlad.

It returned at twice the speed and contacted squarely with Vlad's chest, smacking him backwards. He brought himself to a halt with a jerk, eyes narrowed angrily when he saw no opponent standing in front of him and the stunned expressions of the others present.

 "We have powers you can not even begin to conceive of." A feminine voice whispered against his ear from behind.

Jerking around, all Vlad caught was the girl's laughing image as she transported without a flash, merely seeming to turn intangible. Furious at himself and the girl his eyes flared brighter as red ectoplasm enveloped his hands.

A gasp of fear from behind spun him about to face death personified.

Gone was the ghost girl, standing before him was a figure with black shadow robes flaring, yellow eyes glowing from within the dark cowl, stark white fingers gripping a green bladed scythe.

Vlad hastily encased himself in a red shield of ectoplasm, mentally cursing, '< i>A Grim Reaper—Oh Fudge Buckets</ i>!'

"Frankly?" The figure said in a voice that now echoed eerily, "My littlest brother Jed can take care of you."

He blinked and the Spectre of Death was mere inches from his face, his shield demolished. Icy breath wafting against his skin as the shadow robes brushed against him. Freezing him to the bone where they touched.

"And he's only three." Death whispered.

He blinked again and Death was gone—instead the arrogant expression of the ghost girl meet his eyes, her lips almost brushing his own.

"Consider that your only warning Vlad Plasmius," she drawled softly with a smirk as she backed away from the stunned elder halfling. "We are something out of your experience and as you're an intelligent man, I think you know when to quit while you're… still living."

Footnotes:
(1) In "Reign Storm", Danny did manage to successfully duplicate himself, however it appears because he has not been able to duplicate since and has even had failed attempts that the duplication was made possible by the Ecto-Skeleton, not his own abilities.
(2) Dedicated fans may protest that this ability is not unique, and has in fact been preformed by Vlad in episode 7, "Bitter Reunions." However I and Muse Mac have discussed the matter and come to the conclusion that Vlad did not catch Danny's ectoplasm blast, but rather absorbed and then redirected it back; a conclusion that is supported by the fact that for a time the ectoplasm blast disappeared from sight before being re-fired.