The wind rushed past their free-falling bodies as Danny attempted to catch up to Vlad. The air was so cold it stung, and the man could barely breathe. However, his eyes sprung open when he saw Danny reaching down for him. “Little badger, what are you doing?!” He shouted over the wind. “You’re going to die!”

“I know!” The clone yelled back. “But I was never supposed to exist anyway! I’m a freak! I’m never gonna be Danny, I never was! The only thing I’ve ever have been is your son! So if you’re dying, then I’m going with you!”

Vlad didn’t know what to say… He’d always wanted that, for someone to love him so unconditionally, if even at all. But the ground was getting so close, and there was so little time left to process any of it. “Daniel, I… I love you. My son.”

The clone’s eyes gushed a river of tears as it continued to desperately grab at Vlad. “I… I.. I love.. you… too!” With a roar, he tried one last lunge in an attempt to catch up. “Dad!!!” A flicker of light emanated from the boy’s chest, and just as the ground approached, two rings of light engulfed him and he rocketed into his father in a hug. With a blur of everything all at once, the two passed through the ground and crashed into the rocky cave floor in a heap. Danny groaned as he sat up. They should be dead right now, right? A bloody mess of a pancake? But they weren’t. Yes, the impact hurt, but it should have been far, far worse. “We’re… alive?” He croaked out. Vlad sprung up despite the agony and lunged to the boy with a mixture of disbelief and overwhelming joy.

“Daniel, you did it! You went ghost!!! You- you saved our lives!”

The clone looked down at himself in awe. His orange jumpsuit changed colors! It was inverted. His boots, gloves, and straps crossing his chest were now white, and the orange had been replaced by a sky blue. He also now sported snow white hair and glowing green eyes. Defects be damned, he really was a ghost! HE JUST WENT GHOST!!! Now, one more test. He focused carefully, and with a calm exhale, he turned back into a human. The moment he did, Vlad pulled him into a hug unlike any he’d ever given anyone. “My sweet badger.” He sighed. The two stayed that way for a while until something hit Vlad, and he pulled back to exclaim it. “Hold on- this means the original plan can work! You can fight Phantom!”

The boy glanced down at his gloved hands. He could? In a flash of light, they became a beautiful, shimmering white; green ectoplasmic energy swirled around them on command. Oh, HE SO COULD! Maybe. Probably. Regardless of the questionable odds, Danny couldn’t deny the immense courage that began swelling inside him. “Then let’s go!” Grabbing Vlad from under the arms, he darted up, only to bonk his head on the cave ceiling. “Sorry. Still getting the hang of this.” After a second attempt, they succeeded in going intangible and began flying back to head through the rift. Glancing down, Vlad noticed the cave was actually a sealed cavern under the Wisconsin sign. Odd, but perhaps someplace to keep a mental note of. The two emerged from the portal to find Box hyperventilating not far away. The spook fell into a frenzied joy once he noticed them. “Oh my gosh! You so totally scared me! I- I thought you died and…” He eyed the newly formed half ghost. “Ok, well maybe one of you did?”

Danny chuckled. “Nah, I’m just a halfa. Now- where’d Phantom go?”

The Box Ghost pointed to a distant block, where by the sound of it, a battle was taking place. The boy nodded and began to fly off, but before he did, they turned back to Vlad. “See ya soon dad. I’ll be right back.”

Phantom zipped around dodging all the attacks Technus threw at him while defending the ghost shield. It was way too fast, and the tech ghost was giving up hope. But just as the teen was about to use his death beam, a blast of green energy shot it out of the sky. Technus took the split second of distraction to flee, leaving behind a very frazzled and furious Phantom. The boy growled as it shook of the impact, turning and hissing at the attacker, but its expression warped immediately after seeing them. “Well, I’ll be…” It cracked a twisted smile. “Finally! Some new entertainment!” It watched in amusement as the clone floated in front of it heroically. The red death beam that was charging in their palm fizzled out; the boy getting into a launching position. “I’m saving that for later. Cause why should I kill you now when I can have a little fun first? Let’s dance little badger.” The spirit rocketed at Danny, sending him tumbling backwards through a building wall. But by the time the clone had opened his eyes, it was gone.

“Show yourself!” He commanded. Phantom materialized not far behind Danny in reply, even setting off his ghost sense, but he pretended not to notice. Just as predicted, the specter tried a sneak attack, but the clone whipped around and blasted it back into an office desk. Phantom easily shook it off and retaliated with a splintered beam that ricocheted off every surface before one-by-one exploding on contact with the target. The newly formed halfa groaned in pain on the floor as Phantom floated closer.

“Pathetic.” It mocked. “But then again you were never HIM. You don’t have my experience or training. I had to work a HARD for my powers back when I was Danny.” With a fiery shockwave, it launched Danny through a crumbling cubicle wall. The air crackled with raw power as Phantom stalked after its prey, red eyes burning in the dim light filtering through the broken windows.

“But... I thought you said you were never-.”

“I know.” Phantom cut him off. “But I’ve had some time to self-reflect recently. And I realized that I can’t change who I was in the past, but I CAN change who I am now. So here ya go- I am Phantom- and humanity is my enemy. From here on out, you’re either with me, or against me!” It launched forward, a green fist connecting with Danny’s jaw, sending him crashing into a water cooler. The plastic shattered, sending a wave of water washing over the grimy floor. Danny gasped, sputtering, as Phantom materialized beside him. This close, the intensity of Phantom’s red eyes was terrifying, like staring into the heart of a supernova. “However… considering you’ve already made your decision, I hope you realize I’m going to have to kill you Fenton.”

Danny instinctively threw up a shield of ecto-energy that barely held against Phantom’s punch. The clone shakily stood up, a determined look on his face. “I’m not Fenton.”

The ghost boy tilted its head with a mixture of calculation and intrigue. “Then who are you? Danny Phantom?.. cause that would be a little copycat of you, don’t ya think?”

“No. I’m a Masters!” He shouted proudly.

The phantom just stood there for a moment before rolling its eyes. “Revolting. Truly revolting. But please, by all means, do keep giving me more reasons why I should put you out of your misery.” It raised a hand, summoning a swirling vortex of green energy. Danny knew, with a chilling certainty, that this attack would be it if he didn’t think fast. Desperate, the teen scanned his surroundings. A flickering fluorescent light, hanging precariously from the ceiling, caught his eye. An idea- a reckless and dangerous idea sparked in his mind. He focused, channeling his energy into a single, concentrated blast. He aimed not at Phantom, but at the support holding the flickering light. The beam hit its mark, the shimmering metal snapping with a groan. The light crashed down, the falling fixture exploding in a shower of sparks that burnt the rampaging spirit. The sudden darkness and sting disoriented Phantom for a split second, but that was all Danny needed. He launched himself forward, phasing through the floor and dropping into the abandoned office below. The ghost snarled, blasting a hole in the floor, and pursuing Daniel with unrelenting fury. The chase continued, a destructive battle through the crumbling office building. Walls were crumbled, furniture pulverized, and many of the windows were shattered by ecto blasts. Finally, after several minutes, the clone burst intangibly through a wall and hovered over the streets, trying to catch his breath. This was bad. Really, really bad. He didn’t even know how to use his base powers properly and Phantom had practically just mastered all of their new ones! “What’s the matter?” Phantom taunted as it dove after him. “You scared?”

Danny darted away and ducked behind a bus stop, the flimsy structure offering little protection as Phantom unleashed another wave of ecto-energy. The glass shattered, sending shrapnel flying. He rolled out of the way just in time, narrowly avoiding a direct hit from its fists. “Hiding now, are we? Ha! Pathetic.”

He needed to think, to strategize. He couldn’t just keep reacting; he had to find a way to turn the tables. The clone looked around, desperately searching for anything he could use to his advantage… but there was nothing. Phantom grabbed Danny by the throat and threw him like a baseball. He hurled through the air, crashing into several structures before sliding to a halt on the pavement. A flicker of light engulfed him, leaving behind a barely conscious human. With a trembling hand, the boy reached down to feel his chest. It was wet, and his hand was covered in a sticky green when he pulled it back. Cackling, the ghost boy landed only feet away; the force of the impact enough to break the street. “Times up.” It smirked. “I will say though, I’m very disappointed. I expected more of a fight from you…. You know what? Just for fun- how about you attack me? I’ll let you.” It spread out its arms in a vulnerable, allowing manner. “Go on… take your best shot!”

The boy snarled, eyes burning with a determined rage that rivaled that of the enemy. With a roar, he went ghost and launched himself at Phantom, beating down on it relentlessly. With each hit that did nothing, he got more and more violent. Unfortunately though, there was no use in it. Phantom just smiled psychotically as he wailed on it. Then, out of a pure adrenaline rush, he grabbed the spirit by the throat and rocketed upwards at high speed. It chuckled in the clone’s grasp, not even attempting to squirrel away. “Why even bother? You know you’re dying.”

“Yes! And I’m taking you down with me!” Danny snapped.

Phantom’s smile widened like a twisted rip. “Oh, that’ll be fun! Here, let me help you!” The specter engulfed itself in red, fiery energy, latching onto Danny’s arms and burning him as they reached the peak. Immediately the two started plummeting, with Danny steering the enemy to crash beneath them. Phantom’s power overtook the fall, turning it into a blazing red fireball the closer it got to the ground. Vlad and Box bolted around the block, eyes locked onto the fight. “Daniel!!!”

Like the world around them turned to slow motion, Danny glanced at Vlad with a smile, but in that moment of distraction, Phantom flipped the tackle around. Now with switched positions, they crashed into a building from the roof, collapsing the whole thing. Dust and debris hung in the air. The silence was deafening. No movement came from the rubble, and Vlad could only watch in horrified anticipation. Then, slowly, the ruins began to move and crumble away. Vlad’s breath caught in his throat as the sole survivor emerged from the dilapidated structure…
…
Phantom.

The disgraced halfa dropped to his knees. “My son…”

It chuckled as it glanced at Vlad’s heartbroken face. “Aw- it’s adorable that you still call him that.” The ghost smiled wide. “Oh, and by the way, a little constructive criticism- next time you go through all that trouble to make me a toy, try not to create it so that it melts before I can play with it.” The boy swatted a blob of green goop in front of Vlad, letting it splat against the pavement. This entire time, Box had done nothing but just stare in the background, but after a few more moments of silence, he growled. The ghosts eyes lit up a ruby red and his expression turned violent.

“Not cool man.” His voice was a distorted mixture of barely concealed fury and a monotone grumble. The uncharacteristic anger set Phantom in a chill of sudden unease. The Box Ghost was many things, but a threat was never one it considered. He was stupid! But, it supposed there was an old saying that the dumber they are, the more dangerous, so it really wasn’t that surprising suddenly. More fun and interesting than anything else. With a stunning amount of power, the spirit launched a wave of energy that trapped the teen in a transparent, glowing blue box. It assumed it would be an easy escape, but surprisingly, the walls held strong even after a few blasts. The boy screeched, bouncing off of the sides like a manic pinball game shroud in a black and white smoke. “Oh, you utter buffoon!” It snapped. “I should’ve incinerated you!”

Vlad’s vision snapped from the clone goop to the boy trapped in front of him. “And I should’ve killed you instead of ripping out your humanity. But I didn’t. I was too soft to go through with it. My weakness was the world’s downfall.”

Phantom huffed. “You know Vlad, for someone so smart, you’re severely stupid. But for once I gotta agree with you on that one. This IS all your fault.” It smirked. “Now the world is doomed, Danny’s dead, and there’s nothing you can do about it….”
….

“It hurts, doesn’t it?” Phantom continued. “Knowing how many people YOU’VE doomed? The lives YOU destroyed by creating me? You can’t wash the blood off your hands if you’re bathing in it.”

Box snarled, blasting an energy beam that shrunk the cube Phantom was trapped in, making them fall to their knees in the increasingly confined space. It let out a psychotic chuckle as it did.

“Enough talking.” The Box Ghost cracked. “I think I liked it better when you were only mean to me.”

At the power plant, Technus worked to attach the ghost shield to a massive generator with the help of Valerie. He screwed a few things in as the girl handed him a wrench. “You know,” she stared, “I never thought I’d be working with a ghost like this.”

The spirit flew up to wire a few extra parts into the system. “Well, I never thought I’d be working with you either my dear, but if I must be completely honest, you probably should get used to it.”

Valerie would normally question that, but she already knew what he meant. She knew far too well. Phantom wasn’t stoppable. This shield was going to protect Amity Park and the surrounding area, but beyond that… the monster was free to roam- to destroy. As much as she absolutely despised the thought, Valerie knew there was truly nothing anyone could do about it. That menace was too powerful. With a few more touches, the ghost shield was successful installed and turned on, but it only encompassed the one building. It needed a ghostly energy, a direction, a commanding presence to force it to bend to its will. With a sigh of almost solemn acceptance, Technus placed his hands on the machine and turned to face Valerie. His mouth cracked open to speak, but before a single word escaped, a tiny, yet commanding voice echoed through the room. “Don’t you dare!”

The technology spirit glanced down in surprise, hands faltering from their grip. It was Skulker. The hunter was in his purest form; a small green blob with piercing red eyes and a napoleon complex. The creature was still visibly weak, but that didn’t stop him from trying to act like he was still 7 feet tall. “Skulker! What are you doing out of your regeneration pod?!”

The tiny ghost, with barely enough energy to hover, growled. “I’m not letting you kill yourself, that’s what! Technus, you know Phantom got you- you know you’re weakened. If you do what you’re planning, it’s going to be completely destroyed you.”

“And so what if it does? It’s either this or that demon wrecking the town!”

Valerie stepped back, not really wanting to get involved with… whatever this was, as the two continued to argue back and forth. Eventually, Skulker lifted his hands in the air as a gesture of surrender. “Look- all I’m saying is there’s no way I’m letting you blow yourself up. You’re not strong enough to handle expanding the shield by yourself, but if we do it together-.”

“We’ll both die.” Technus cut him off.

“Not if we use my suit.” Skulker fired back. At first, the idea sounded preposterous to Technus. After all, the little blobs’ mech suit had been completely destroyed by Phantom. But the more the hunter elaborated, the more everything started to make sense. Last time his robotic body was wrecked, the scientist had essentially programmed the blueprints for the new one into the little spirit himself. So if and when the suit got broken again, the tech ghost could easily rebuild it within seconds rather than spending hours. It was part of Skulker’s DNA in a sense. But in order for them both to utilize that, they would need to commit fusion. Ironic that they’d have to do the very thing that the enemy utilized to stop them. Technus reiterated the situation and repercussions of the actions they planned to carry out. Yes, there was a chance the mech suit would make them strong enough to survive, but there was also a chance that this force field would still destroy them either way. Skulker seems locked in to the idea though, not taking no for an answer. “A glorious victory, or glorious death- we’ll never know until we try.” The blob floated up and landed in Technus’ arms. “Ready?”

“Ready.” The tech ghost glanced at the girl watching from the corner. “Oh, and Valerie my dear- if we survive this, city renovations are house.” Then, he closed his eyes and focused. A strange, green energy emanated from the two, and soon certain pieces of the room began to rattle. A few screws got launched at them and stuck to them like they were magnetic, then one by one, larger metal items clumped around them. After a moment, the cocoon of metal and wires began taking its own shape, ultimately forming a figure that looked almost identical to Skulker’s armor. The light show wore off, and the new, solo ghost stood tall; silent. Valerie took a few steps back.

“Ah… you guys alright in there?”

For a moment, the figure didn’t move or even remotely respond, but suddenly, it flickered to life. Skulker blinked; looking around then down at himself. It was just like his original suit, but there was almost a window space on his chest where Technus woke up in. They really were two in one. With the newfound strength, they grabbed hold of the power generator and focused their energy into it. Sparks flew like fireworks, a massive green shockwave washed over the room, and the lights flickered as the ghost shield began expanding outside the building. Skulker and Technus, or now that they were one, more accurately, Skulktech, roared. They fought against the mass of raw power that threatened to consume them while they redirected the energy… but it hurt. Even with the mech upgrade and their combined forces, their energy was draining faster than anticipated. It was overwhelming, but necessary. They NEEDED to get the shield up. It NEEDED to reach the devices Technus had Valerie plant along the town outskirts.

Meanwhile, Phantom cackled  as it broke through another one of the Box Ghost’s barriers. “Ya know, I’ve been thinking about what you asked me back then in the alleyway when the clone and I first met… I believe you asked who I was?”

Vlad, exhausted and still in a great deal of pain from the last 2 weeks, held himself up by leaning against a twisted streetlight. He actually did remember what the boy was referring to. When it denied its identity as Daniel and he questioned who that left them to be. Phantom kicked Box in the chest, sending him crashing into a pile of rubble, then landed only a few feet away from Vlad. “I’ve already had this conversation with the ill-fated replica, but since you were the inspiration, I suppose you deserve to know before I slaughter you.” It’s smile twisted. “I embraced my past. I acknowledge that I used to be Daniel, but I also acknowledge that he’s dead. I’m no longer him- but something better. Something he couldn’t ever even fathom.” It rocketed forward, pinning Vlad to the ground by his throat. “You want to know who I am Vladdie? I am Phantom! I am the destroyer of humanity! I am your doom!” With each proclamation his force around Vlad’s throat grew tighter. “I. AM. THE ULTIMATE ENEMY!”

This was it. Vlad couldn’t breathe. He was too weak to move, to fight back, to do anything. It hurt… His vision swam and blurred as the darkness pulled him under. The only clear thing was the red eyes locking onto his fading ones. It was an intense stare- like Phantom was intently watching the light leave his eyes. Like it was relishing in his death… probably because it was. It was too powerful, too manic, too far gone from any glimmer of humanity, yet it still wore the face of someone Vlad felt for. Ironic that he’d die to the product of his own actions. Just as the cold shadows closed in, Box tackled them and presumably turned the man intangible, because the pain was turned to almost a static, dull ache. However, about a split second after, a crackling energy blasted them back in a shocking jolt of agony. The world went quiet... dark… maybe it finally happened. Maybe Vlad died. But a nauseating wave of pain snapped him back to some semblance of consciousness and his eyes fluttered open. The town, as broken as it may have been, was completely encased in the ghost shield. Small devices sat in spots around the perimeter, seemingly amplifying the power and reinforcing the force field. Phantom tried ramming into it, blasting it, doing anything, but it couldn’t break through. With a roar it slashed a portal open out of rage, staring daggers at the peaceful city beyond it. “Fine Valerie… you can protect your little city all you want, but it won’t matter. I’m gonna rip apart everything else on this pathetic planet, and YOU won’t be able to stop me! Here me now! I am Phantom! And this world… is mine.” With that one final growl, it… no, HE… dashed through the portal and closed it behind him. Vlad just lied there in silence, listening to the hum and buzz of the ghost shield. Maybe he should just sleep… close his eyes let the cold December air numb him. Maybe if it did, he could just slip away peacefully. Dying didn’t sound so bad right about now.

“Hey, you alright?” Box hovered beside the man and shook him gently, forcing Vlad to open his eyes again. “We can still go back to your home in Wisconsin if you want. And I know you said you’d do that part by yourself, but you look like you could use a little help.”

Vlad didn’t know what to feel. He COULD just stay here and die, escaping this apocalypse he started, OR he could use Box to at least get him home. Well, as much pain and self-loathing he was in right now, giving up wasn’t really his thing. Vlad was stubborn- he proudly admitted that. Alright then, the decision was made. With a struggle and a bit of help from Box, he managed to stand up. “I… I accept your offer.”

The spirit lit up with excitement despite only having one eye to widen. “Yes! Road trip!”

….
Vlad was already regretting this.

Meanwhile, Skulktech was shaken awake by Valerie. The mech was practically destroyed and burnt, giving it a dark, blacked appearance. The energy they absorbed from the shockwave must have been intense, because even though the lower half of the robot was completely ripped off, a glowing green ghost tail flowed in its place. Similarly, the hunter’s head was caught ablaze with the same energy, but it didn’t seem to be painful. If anything, it was just part of them now. Both Technus and Skulker regained their consciousness and appeared incredibly relieved that they hadn’t been disintegrated.

“So… What now?” Valerie questioned.

Technus pondered. “I… don’t know. I mean, it’s the end of the world. What can you really do?”

Skulker snorted. “We need to fix the portal and get back to the Ghost Zone. You still have those plans to fortify it, right?”

Technus’ digital face nodded. “Valerie, my dear, it seems I was correct about having to get used to working with us ghosts.” The spirit smirked. “We require your assistance.”

…

Far away, Clockwork watched intently through a gear shaped portal window as Phantom unleashed an attack on a small city. “So it begins… another dark timeline. How tragic. I tried to show the boy another way, but alas, he was too stubborn to be reasoned with. Though I suppose that doesn’t stop me from continuing to try to lessen his damage now that it’s not off limits. Like it ever was… At least it won’t get on the Observer’s bad side now.” He watched silently as Phantom blasted a car through the air. “I apologize, little one, but your fate… is sealed.”