Alpan's hand reached Danny' forehead, bringing with it searing pain. Pain that was worse than any Danny had ever experienced before. Fire coursed through his veins, lava taking residence in his temples. The fire traveled throughout his body, to the point that Danny didn't know how he was still living. Or half living.

Suddenly the pain stopped. Slowly, Danny opened his eyes. When had he closed them? Instead of the empty room he'd been taken to, Danny now stared at the horrifyingly familiar sight of the Nasty Burger. He was running, trying so desperately to save them. They didn't deserve this. They shouldn't have to deal with his shit storm of a life. They didn't deserve to be strapped to a fucking boiler about to explode.

He heard the twisted version of himself cackle with glee. Danny wanted him to stop He wanted him to shut up.

"I am sorry, Daniel." Came a somber voice from behind him. "I did not want this to happen." Danny faced Clockwork now, eyes red in anger.

"Take me back!" He shouted. "Let me save them!" All of the pain, the self-loathing, the anguish rang clearly in his voice. Danny didn't even realize he had tears streaming down his face.

"I cannot, Daniel. I have already meddled too much." The sorrow in Clockwork's voice fell on deaf ears.

"Then why are you here?" The young halfa bit out.

"I'm here to take that." He gestured to the thermos that had yet to stop in it's cackling. "I will keep him from escaping his prison." Rather than speak, Danny just hurled the thermos at the ghost.

"Leave." Without a word, Clockwork did just that. Finally alone, Danny turned to stare at the devastation. The boiler no longer stood, his friends and family strapped to it. Rather, Danny could see their mutilated corpses scattered around the explosion sight. He fell to his knees, sobs escaping his chapped lips. Danny couldn't even tell his mother from his father. Eventually, people began to gather, having heard the explosion and fighting. But Danny left before he could be seen.

~~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~

Danny wandered the Ghost Zone, angry and despising himself. Why couldn't he save them?! If only he'd wasted less time fighting that bastard! Then they'd still be alive. Who cared if they discovered his ghostly half!

Danny continued to fly through the Ghost Zone, not meeting anything on his way. The other ghosts took to avoiding him pretty quickly. The first to learn was Skulker. He'd tried to captue him once again, but was met with nothing but rage from Danny's part. The fight ended rather quickly, with Danny having torn apart his armor piece by piece, until nothing but the green blob remained.

Danny had no idea how much time passed, but he couldn't bring himself to care. He'd refused to return to Amity Park since the incident, let alone to Fenton Works. It was too painful to even think about. The more Danny drifted throughout the Ghost Zone, the worse he felt. He couldn't save them. He had been too late. He killed them. Despite the fact that it was indirect, the truth was that the twisted monster that strapped them to that boiler was him. Danny gripped his head in pain. He murdered his family. His friends.

"Daniel."

Danny slowly turned around, shock and fear obvious on his now sallow face. Before him was a face Danny had hoped and prayed he'd never see again. The face of the man who had helped cause all of this. Vlad Plasmius, or more commonly known as Vlad Masters, floated there.

"What the hell do you want Vlad?" Danny spat out the name like a curse. This man was the very reason he went to the Ghost Zone, rather than simply leave town. Danny refused to become Dan, he refused to turn into that monster that killed his family. He swore that he wouldn't, and that was a vow he didn't plan on breaking.

"Daniel, why are you here? In the Ghost Zone?" The older halfa asked, causing Danny to snort. "Daniel, please, come back with me. After the... incident, I was named your guardian. So please, it has already been a week. People are assuming the worst." As Vlad spoke, Danny took the opportunity to observe the man. In the span of a week, or so Vlad claimed, he seemed to have aged twenty years. Even in ghost form, Danny could make out pronounced wrinkles on his face, and dark circles staining his under eyes. Even his normally black hair held several patches of gray.

"I-I can't." Danny spoke softly now, most of the heat out of his voice. Vlad could visibly see the young halfa crumple, anguish seeming to overtake his very being.

"Little Badger-" At the nickname, all the fire seemed to return to Danny at once.

"NO!" He shot Vlad back with a surge of energy. "You don't understand!" He shot another blast Vlad's way, hitting the mark. "If I go with you, if I go back, I'll be that-" Danny was cut off with a scream of pain. His vision was quickly filled with white. He heard voices, they sounded familiar, but who were they? Danny caught a few words in his pain filled daze, but none of it made sense.

"-Agent T, get-"

"Subject detained-"

"-still conscious-"

Reality came crashing down on Danny. The Guys in White. They were in the Ghost Zone. Danny began to frantically scream out to Vlad, hoping beyond hope that he was still within earshot.

"Destroy the Portal! Get rid of it! Don't let them get back here!" He screamed until his voice had long gone hoarse. He continued to scream until he felt something being pricked into his arm. Danny realized what happened too late. His already impaired vision blurred further, until blackness engulfed it fully. He passed out to the sounds of agents saying the job was successful.

When Danny woke next, he was greeted by blackness. So dark and absolute that he couldn't see his hand directly in front of his face. It was suffocating. Danny didn't have to suffer too long, as, after the sounds of many locks being undone rang, several Men in White entered the room. Danny looked up at them, quickly getting to his feet.

"Stand down boy. You'll find you stand no chance against us." One of them spoke. Danny didn't listen. He tried to call on his ghost powers, but found that he couldn't. It felt as if a wall had been put between Danny and his powers. He glared as the Men in White laughed. "I told you. As long as you're here, those pesky powers of yours will not work. And you will be here for a long, long time." The other ghost hunters grabbed him, barely hindered by his struggling. Danny was dragged to another room, one full of shiny metal equipment and a long table with strange looking straps attached. He struggled harder, but was still thrown on the table, being strapped down in a matter of seconds.

"Let me go!" Danny shouted, struggling desperately against the bonds.

"No." The same man that spoke before said. "We're only just getting started." And so Danny's screams began.

~~~~~~~~~~Line~Break~~~~~~~~

Danny crouched in the corner of his cell, ignoring the strong scent of blood that was permanently a part of the room.

One year.

Danny had been here for one year now. Enduring countless experiments, torture that would make any hell spawn jealous, and subject to constant beatings. Danny's body ached at just the thought of it.

Things were worse than when he was first captured. At first, his body had still been able to heal itself rather quickly. But that rouge ability had been forced into overdrive; meaning that it took far longer to heal, and all scars would remain.

Suddenly, the door opened, but Danny didn't even flinch. Two men forced him to his feet, dragging him out of the cell, but Danny didn't struggle. What was the point? There was no way out. He couldn't fight, and no one was coming for him. So why fight? The halfa was brought out of his thoughts when he was thrown, rather unceremoniously, onto the familiar table.

"Day three hundred sixty-six. Subject has ceased all struggling, but still seems coherent. Proceeding now with the newly developed serum." Came the all too familiar voice of Agent P, his most common tormentor. "Injecting now." Danny felt the prick of a needle being shoved into his thin arm, but didn't react. That is, until a knife was driven into his leg. It was soon twisted, causing Danny to scream in pain.

"Stop!" He shouted, knowing they wouldn't listen. It just hurt so much. "Please, stop!"

"Subject shows signs of pain," Agent P said loudly, "pain serum seems to be taking affect."

"Please! I told you before, I can feel pain! Ghosts feel pain!" Danny screamed, just wanting him to stop twisting the knife. He gagged when he felt the tissue in his thigh being ripped apart. His cries grew louder, more desperate, until Agent P finally addressed the young halfa.

"Your lies will get you no where boy. Your body, however, is of great use to us. This serum will make things far easier." Danny muttered almost incoherently. The agent took it as him asking to continue. "This serum has been developed to activate dead pain receptors in the body of a ghost. It will be far easier to get information on them now." Danny's blood ran cold at his words. If he meant what he thought, than the serum must be enhancing his preexisting pain receptors. Making even the slightest nick feel like a limb was being ripped off. And, as for what else he said, did they have other ghosts here? Maybe in another facility? Who did they have? The thoughts ran rampant in Danny's mind.

"Ah!" He cried out in pain as a blade was drawn down the side of his face, slowly. From Danny's temple to his chin. The serum made the pain nearly unbearable. It felt like acid was being used rather than metal. Fire raced from the wound, spreading across his face. Danny's very being was in pain, feeling as if it was being ripped apart.

"-your friends this way? What has happened, my friend?" Danny heard Wulf spoke.

"W-Wulf?" Why was Wulf here? Where was he? Hadn't he just been in the clutches of the GIW? "Wh-"

"Danny!" A vaguely familiar voice shrieked. That was the last thing he heard before being dropped back into his most painful, hate filled memories.

A/n: Not gonna lie, it was painful writing this. Comment what you think!