Dan frowned as he looked down at Amity Park under the green shield. His wail definitely made a dent, but now it seemed like the infernal thing was back to normal. He brought himself down toward it, standing on top of it as he looked beneath him. The logo printed on his chest was visible across the town from this angle, shining hopefully up through the buildings through the shield and at the spectre above. It sickened him.
Walking across it, he felt the shield sizzle against his boots; the electric power keeping him out but also something else, something he couldn't quite place. "Figures," the dark Phantom muttered, testing it with his weight. "Even in this timeline, the brat still thinks he has a chance." His hands ignited with energy, darkening rapidly as he considered his next move. The energy dissipated as he gasped, heat rising from his core and through his nose as the shield shifted below his feet. Dan chuckled, waiting for an attack or quip, but it didn't come. Mildly intrigued at the lack of attack, he turned; this timeline's Danny Phantom floated up and out of the shield slowly, landing gracefully on top of the shield with a soft thud. Dan eyed the teen; still young, the infuriating green eyes and messy white hair still matched what he presumed the human half mirrored. Dan watched as small waves of power rippled at the boy's feet. "Surprised to see me?" he taunted.
Danny crossed his arms, but remained silent. His eyes looked the evil ghost over as he reassessed the situation. Namely how much he wasn't ready for this fight. The shield beneath his feet hummed as some of its energy started to flow back to his body, making him feel more confident in his powers for the first time in days. His confidence in his powers, however, did nothing to quell the uneasiness he felt as he stared back at his future self.
"What? Nothing to say?" he goaded. "No 'But I defeated you?' 'Not possible?'" He gestured to the shield below them. "But you gave me such a great welcome!"
Danny's eyes narrowed slightly. "Why are you here?" he asked finally.
Dan's eyebrow rose slightly. "Really? I thought it would be obvious by now." His hands ignited with green ecto-energy, making the younger half-ghost tense slightly.
"This isn't your world," Danny told him, hands also igniting in ecto-energy. "Not anymore."
"Of course it isn't," the evil ghost smirked. His ecto-energy disappeared as he started to pace around the teen. "You trapped me in a thermos for what? A year? Did you think I would just go away? I've been here for 10 years Danny. I'm inevitable."
"So what now? You know I'll never become you," Danny said. He looked down at the town below; the town's people were starting to notice the two ghosts above them.
Dan smirked at the worry his younger counterpart held for the town. "Funny isn't it, how they look like insects from up here," he replied, ignoring the question and drawing a glare from the younger ghost. Dan smiled slightly as he saw Danny's mask crack. "Feels like it too, when you watch them run from an ecto-blast." Danny's eyes lit up a little more neon in anger. The darker Phantom chuckled humourlessly. "How long do you think this will hold me Danny? How long before you realize you can't protect them from yourself." He smiled wickedly, his fists shining brightly against his aura. "Especially, when I do this!" Dan released a stream of ecto-energy towards shield, causing it to spark at the sudden attack. The shield rebound the energy upwards, sending a shower of green to explode above them under the grey clouds overhead. Dan watched the teen falter slightly; catching the way he tried to hide how much that blast affected him. The evil ghost smiled predatorily, confirming his theory as Danny let out a deep breath before meeting his gaze with a glare. "Oh, did that hurt? How about this!"
Dan flew straight for the teen, blast at the ready. Danny hastily brought up a small ecto-shield, managing to block the attack with some effort. Dan pushed down onto the shield, but Danny pushed back, repelling his older self backward. Flying up, Danny fired a flurry of ice blasts toward Dan, who dodged them with ease. The evil Phantom caught an ice blast and melted it, staring the younger down. Danny's eyes widened in shock slightly before launching himself toward the target. They tumbled in the air twice until Dan caught his balance, grabbed Danny's arm and threw him away from the battle. Danny landed hard on top of the shield, crying out in surprise as he skidded to a stop. Crouched low, he sent a disc of ecto-energy back at the ghost. It hit its mark, but Dan walked straight through, almost as if it didn't affect him.
Crap Danny thought, dodging a blast with a back handspring. He hissed as the missed blast hit the shield again. How do I manage this?
"What's your plan here?" Dan goaded, splitting himself in three. "You can't surprise me with the wail anymore. It's not like you have anything to beat me."
Eyes shining blue, Danny launched a series of ice blasts towards Dan. Caught by surprise, two of the duplicates disappeared as the older ghost growled. Dan's fists glowed light blue as a series of flames launched at the younger boy. Danny yelped but defended himself with an ice blast. The blasts collided, holding fast between the two ghosts. The fire blast started to push the ice blast back, Danny gritted his teeth as he was pushed back against the shield. Eventually, it exploded, sending both ghosts flying.
Danny hissed as small flames burned his hand. He stood up slowly and glared across the shield as Dan did the same. His future self smiled cruelly as he laughed. "Really?" he asked. "Did you think an ice core would do much against a heat one? My hair is literally on fire."
"Yeah, you're a real hot head," Danny retorted. Again, he launched an ice blast, this time freezing the top of the shield and Dan's feet to the shield. With the evil ghost trapped, he froze a ball of ecto-energy and threw it at Dan, watching it explode. Dan stood up slowly, glaring at Danny. Both Phantoms held the glare for a few tense seconds before they flew at each other.
:-=-:
Clockwork frowned atop the current apartment roof he called his home, watching Danny face off against his future self. They were locked in combat, trading punches and quips. Thankfully, they looked evenly matched. Clockwork shifted into a form of a child as he looked at his staff worriedly. If he was right, it wouldn't be long now.
"Are we going to let him have all the fun?"
Clockwork didn't turn as he felt Ethelwulf appear beside him. The Time Master could sense the concern for the boy oozing off the ghost; it almost rivalled his own. "Patience," Clockwork said calmly.
Ethelwulf scoffed. "That's all you ever say," he replied with a growl. His black wings opened, stretching up in anticipation. "That shield has been up for as long as we've been here; Danny's putting too much energy into it. If his future self is as powerful as you say he is, we should be doing more!"
"Everything is as it should be," Clockwork said, shifting forms into adulthood.
"Forgive me, I forgot how insufferable you can be," Ethelwulf countered, with a roll of his eyes. "Clockwork, he can't keep this up for much longer. We need to help him."
Clockwork ignored him, closing his eyes. He felt the world move, time shifting through the twists and turns of the time stream. The battles to come and the price made him shutter as he hoped that he was wrong. He sensed the battle above the town; Danny and Dan floated ten feet away from each other, the former looking more run down than the latter.
Three. Both Phantoms manoeuvred their way to the top of the shield again, neither looking away from the other. Clockwork's eyes flew open as he felt the timeline slow.
Two. Danny tensed as the older ghost yelled something at him. They both took a deep breath in quickly, bracing for what was to come.
One. Both Phantoms unleashed their wails, colliding in a wall of sound. The ground shook, as the raw power reverberated overhead. Screams from the town echoed below.
"Time out!"
A pulse of power erupted from within Clockwork's being and through his staff, a wave of blue washing over the town and outward. Grunting softly, the Master of Time doubled over in pain as the wave pushed past the shield toward the rest of the world.
"Clockwork!" Ethelwulf exclaimed, moving closer to his friend. Yellow eyes quickly assessed the ghost in concern.
Clockwork shifted into the form of an old man, hunched over and glowing. As the world ground to a halt, the eerie silence was overrun by the deafening roar of the Ghostly Wails above them. Ethelwulf looked down below of the humans frozen before turning his gaze back to the time ghost. Clockwork sighed heavily, recovering from the initial pain of stopping time before he looked at the confused face of wolfish companion.
"Why didn't they stop?" Ethelwulf asked, worry laced in his tone. The wail continued, unconcerned at the halt of time. "Clockwork – why didn't they stop?"
Clockwork's old eyes looked up at Danny Phantom with worry and self-loathing. "It's begun."
:-=-:
Danny's limbs shook as he continued the wail. He was siphoning the energy from the shield into the attack, but his evil self was powerful; there was no way he could keep this up for much longer. He was fading, vision swimming in front of him. Dan's wail started to push him backward but Danny stood his ground, pushing back. Eventually, the wails exploded, sending both ghosts flying backward and colliding hard with the shield.
Danny bit his lip as he felt the shield falter slightly. He focused in maintaining the shield, groaning in agony as he felt unconsciousness threaten to take him. Getting up on his hands and knees, he tried to shake his head to clear it.
"Is this it?" Danny stiffened as his evil self's snide drawl floated to his ears. "I almost expected more from you."
Come on Danny thought desperately. He searched deep within his core for any spare energy that he could muster.
"Still no quips?" the Dark Phantom provoked. He stomped the shield, releasing a small disc of ecto-energy from his feet. Danny cried out in pain as he felt it crack, but still managed to keep the shield. "Hmm… Maybe you're stronger than I give you credit for."
Realizing his only option, Danny breathed through the pain and focused on the raw energy deep within him. Already, he felt the electricity rise through his core, screaming to be released.
A wordless roar and a yelp of surprise broke through his concentration, making his eyes shoot open. Ethelwulf, appearing from nowhere, shot up through the shield and tackled Dan, large leathery wings moving like blades through combat. Dan retaliated quickly, sending multiple rounds of ecto-energy to his new foe. Ethelwulf dodged before sending a large series of ecto-blasts back at the evil spectre.
"Ethelwulf," Danny murmured in confusion. He pushed himself up slowly, standing slightly before falling. To his shock, a pair of hands grabbed him before he reached the surface of shield. Blue skin, a long grey beard and a purple cloaked ghost held the ghost boy up. "Clockwork?" Danny steadied himself with the help of the Time Master and looked at him in confusion. "What-"
"No time," Clockwork said simply, his voice still eerily serene even with the urgency in that statement. "Can you go on?" Danny nodded readily. Clockwork frowned, looking the boy over in hopes for a more truthful answer, but continued. "Okay, listen carefully. When time resumes – a natural portal will open and shut quickly above the town. We need to get Dan into it."
Danny looked from Clockwork to Ethelwulf and back again. "I don't understand," he said faintly, sinking further into Clockwork's grip.
"Later," Clockwork assured, holding him steady. "I'll explain when we get rid of the more pressing issue. Don't worry about the shield – focus on getting him out of your world."
Ethelwulf skidded across the shield, stopping in front of Clockwork and Danny. The wolf ghost growled protectively around the two. Dan floated down slowly, smirking at the trio of ghosts at his mercy.
"Meddling again Clockwork?" Dan asked, annoyed. He eyed the Time Master quickly, laughing as he saw the feeble form he was currently in. "What will you do, huh? Doesn't look like you're up to any tricks- Is that why you brought the mutt?"
Neither Ethelwulf nor Clockwork responded to the jab. Danny, on the other hand, broke away from Clockwork and stood his ground.
Dan laughed. "Oh, you're kidding me! Do you truly believe you three stand a chance against me? Don't you understand what I'm capable of?" A wave of ecto-energy flew at the evil ghost courtesy of Ethelwulf's wings.
"Any time now Clock!" Ethelwulf yelled. "Literally!" He flew back at Dan, a large paw hitting the ghost in the chest. Danny flew up slightly, holding his side, but watched Ethelwulf and Dan exchange attacks and looked for an opening.
"Time In!" Danny heard Clockwork exclaim. What he didn't notice was his friend double over in pain as time started to move forward.
True to Clockwork's word, Danny saw the natural portal open directly above the fighting Ethelwulf and Dan. I need to get him up there quickly… but how? Ethelwulf's tail hit Dan's shield – creating a series of sparks as the evil ghost was pushed upwards. Dan was so enthralled with Ethelwulf's attacks, he had stopped paying attention to Danny or Clockwork. Seeing the opportunity, Danny flew into a position where a good clean shot would send him flying. Ethelwulf and Dan flew higher still, until Dan was right where the younger ghost wanted. "HEY!" he yelled, getting the attention of both ghosts. "Leave my town ALONE!" Danny unleashed his Ghostly Wail for the second time, watching as Ethelwulf quickly darted out of the way so his older self got the brunt of the attack. Dan yelled in frustration as he was pushed up and through the ghost portal. Danny, utterly spent, fell a few feet and hit the shield as the portal closed. He gasped for air, forcing himself to stay conscious and in ghost form as he tried to process what happened.
As he tried to regain his breath, Danny felt Clockwork and Ethelwulf come around him. "You did good kid," Ethelwulf said, worry evident in his tone.
Danny shook his head. "The shield," he rasped, looking out desperately to the cracked shield around Amity Park. "He'll be back."
Ethelwulf frowned, watching the teen's desperation overpower any sense of reason. "Danny, you've already used too much core energy on that shield. It's a miracle you've made it this far," Ethelwulf told him gently. When Danny didn't answer, Ethelwulf turned to Clockwork for help. "You tell him."
Clockwork floated beside the kneeling boy, putting a withered hand on Danny's shoulder. Danny only barely recognized the ghost's presence. "Do what you need to do," he said quietly. "Just remember that you will not stop him if do this alone."
Danny nodded, accepting the advice. He put a shaky gloved hand on the shield and breathed deeply. His ghostly aura pulsed around him as the shield glowed, the cracks slowly being repaired. He shook in strain, trying to control the energy flowing through him. With the cracks repaired, Danny fell sideways with a groan, Clockwork catching the boy as he fell.
Ethelwulf sighed, moving closer to Danny. The ghost in question was still stubbornly conscious, breathing heavily against Clockwork's chest. "Rest, Halfling," Ethelwulf soothed, yellow eyes searching for any serious injuries. Thankfully, it only looked like he was bruised and exhausted. "Let's get you home."
:-=-:
"Here."
Maddie jumped slightly as a white mug with her husband's face on it settled in front of her at the computer station, the smell of fresh coffee greeted her senses. Glancing back, the ghost researcher turned to face her husband. "Thanks Jack. Is Danny back yet?"
Jack sat in the chair beside her, frowning. "Nope – but I'm sure it's fine Mads. It's not even 9 yet! He's probably on his way back now." Maddie smiled weakly and turned her attention back to the data on the screen, frowning in concern. Sensing her worry, Jack rolled the chair closer to her and glanced at the numbers and charts. "Find anything on Danny's files?"
"Kind of – there are a lot of schematics for weapons that would be good against sonic attacks, heat attacks, cold attacks – everything you can think of. Except…" Maddie trailed off, frowning as she mused her theory over in her head one more time. "Except, these files don't look like they're solely on this evil Phantom…"
Jack's eyes widened as he caught on. "They're files on if our Danny goes dark," he finished, looking over the data with new understanding. Jack let out a low whistle as he watched Maddie scroll through a list of powers his son currently held and a possible counter for each one. "He's really worried about this, huh?"
Maddie nodded, frowning as she looked down at her notes. "The only problem is that our tech reacts to Danny's ecto-signature in some way. There's nothing in these files saying that they have different ecto-signatures. So how do we create weapons to defeat this ghost if they also target Danny? Or a ghost shield?" She rubbed her head in her hands. "How can we help him if he believes the only way how is to hurt him?"
Jack rubbed his wife's back soothingly. "First of all, Danny doesn't think we're going to hurt him," Jack reassured confidently. "He wouldn't have given us this file if there wasn't a threat. Second, the ghost we're up against is half Danny – or a version of him at any rate. Even if he's worried about turning evil, he's probably the best one to judge what will work against that ghost." Jack paused for a second, taking in everything he just said. "Mads, that's it! The Ecto-Signature!"
Maddie turned to her husband in confusion, before her eyes lit up in understanding. "He's half of Danny! Meaning that the other half will affect his ecto-signature! All we have to do is find out which ghost is the other half!" She flipped through her notes quickly. "Danny said Dan had some fire attacks, which must be what he's referring to here." She pointed at the screen under heat attacks. She frowned as she noticed a small acronym. "What does 'CH' mean?"
"It could be anything really. Unit of measure for ecto-energy? Core Heat perhaps? Personally, I think of cheese but maybe I'm just hungry."
Maddie tensed, a memory of Danny calling Vlad a 'Cheesehead' running across her mind. Making a note to inquire later, she relaxed slightly and nodded to her husband. "Let's just ask Danny, hmm?" she said, picking up the coffee and taking a sip. Looking at the clock, she frowned slightly as she noticed the time. 9:20. "Jack, he should be back by now."
Jack opened his mouth to respond but was cut off. Both hunters jumped as the ghost alarm went off, the shrill beeping intensifying the worry that both parents shared. They jumped into action; Jack typed in the password to disable the alarm as Maddie pulled up the map of the town. "There's a huge spike of ecto-energy above the city!" she cried.
Jack swallowed nervously as he looked at the map. There were 2 dots on the screen, both with high ecto-energy levels, clashing on screen. He stared as both dot collided with each other and rebounded away. "How long?"
"Looks like thirty minutes – give or take." Maddie reached for her cellphone and grimaced as she saw the twenty missed calls between Jazz, Sam and Tucker. Jack didn't miss the look of dread on her face.
"We need –" Jack started before the entire lab was coated with a soft blue light. Both Fentons froze as time halted. The analog clock on the wall continued moving, as if nothing was wrong. The ticking clock continued until it read 9:40 before the blue light washed over them again, resuming. "To go!" Jack finished. As both hunters ran to acquire weapons, the computer let out another shrill beep.
Maddie, frowning in worry, ran over to the screen. "What on earth…" she said, looking at the screen. Not even ten seconds ago, there were two ecto-entities on the screen; now there were four. "Jack!" she called. Maddie watch as three of the dots ganged up on the last one. "Jack, the TV. We need eyes now!"
Sensing her worry, Jack fumbled with the remote and turned the T.V. on. Sure enough, there was coverage of the ghost attack from ground level, but no sight of Danny Phantom. As she combed through the grainy footage, she managed to make out an animal looking ghost with black wings fighting with a larger looking ghost with blue skin and flaming hair. "Where's-" she started worriedly, before the audio crackled and a loud wailing blasted through the speaker of the T.V. Maddie let out a sigh of relief as Danny came into the frame, attacking with his Ghostly Wail. Danny attacked, pushing the enemy up and out of sight. As the larger ghost disappeared, she was brought out of her stupor as Danny fell, hitting the shield hard. "Danny," she whispered worriedly.
"That looks like Ethelwulf," Jack said, pointing to the animal ghost. He then moved his finger to the last small figure on frame, who was dressed in purple. "Who's that?"
Maddie shook her head. "Change in plans, first aid kit. And where did we put the E-Scanner?" As they gathered supplies, Maddie looked back at the T.V. screen again and gasped as the trio of ghosts disappeared. "Where'd they-"
A bright light cut Maddie off as both Fentons shielded their eyes. When the light subsided, they saw Ethelwulf's large wings opening to reveal the ghost in purple holding their son. Not giving anyone time to readjust, Ethelwulf shifted forms to stand on two legs, getting rid on his wings and tail and moved directly to the Fentons. "He's okay," the ghost assured the worried parents. "With some patching up and a little bit of rest, he should be fine."
Both parents stared at the three ghosts as they processed what just happened. Maddie was the first to recover, eyes honing in on Danny's limp form. "Someone care to tell me what the hell is going on here?" she asked angrily. She glared at the quiet ghost currently holding her son. "And who the hell are you!?"
The ghost was unfazed by her anger and just floated closer to the ground. He nodded at Jack, silently beckoning him closer. Jack hesitated for a second before glancing at Danny and hurried forward. He took his son his arms as Danny finally reverted forms, unable to hold out any longer. Maddie's anger disappeared as Danny relaxed into his father's hold, unconscious. "My name is Clockwork," he finally replied serenely. Both Fentons turned to each other in recognition of the name. "As for your second question, that is a rather long story."
