Vlad sat on a bench in his lab, picking at a few of his bandages that covered his arm. It itched. Danny walked over and plopped down next to him, looking rather confused; almost upset. “Hey Dad?”
Vlad froze. He knew what information he’d fed the clone, but even so, it was bizarre hearing it be repeated back. Wow. Danny called him dad… He might need a moment with that one. For the sake of response however, he pushed the feeling aside and asked what was wrong. Danny looked up from the floor. “Why does it hurt?”

Vlad’s eyes widened. “What does? Is something wrong with your body? I swore it was stable.”

Daniel sighed. “No, I think I’m alright. I just feel… wrong. Like something’s missing.” The boy brought his hands to his chest, rubbing softly where his heart was as if attempting to warm it up. Maybe something deep inside even the clone Danny longed for friends that no longer existed. Or perhaps it was just the dreary atmosphere of the underground laboratory that served to way down on his spirits. Either way, Vlad didn’t really have an answer; nor did he have time to think of one before a TV on the wall flickered to life. Valerie stood on the other end, broadcasting the message live from a device on her wrist. She seemed distraught. “I was able to catch Danny in the Fenton Thermos, but I don’t know for how much longer he’ll stay in there. What now?”

Vlad contemplated his next move. The original plan involved using the clone to fight the phantom, but unfortunately, Danny was likely no match for the monster. At least not now. The clone had yet to even exhibit the ability to go ghost. It would be destroyed in five seconds flat. Vlad’s eyes drifted to the boy curled up in the corner. He looked up at the man with the innocence of a soul yet to face reality. Oh God- Vlad was getting attached already. Not good. He turned back to the screen with a sigh. “Where are you currently?”

“Standing outside of Fenton Works. Why?”
Vlad thought hard. “Perhaps there’s still something down in the lab that can help. I know for a fact the moving crew refused to go down there. Everything should still be inside.”

“Roger that Mr. Masters.” With that, the footage cut out; leaving the two in the near darkness again. The stripped halfa let out a long sigh as he walked over to the clone and plopped down next to him. The boy let his head fall into Vlad’s arm, clearly bored and tired. Vlad would gladly take him out in the sunlight to cheer him up, but he was needed down there. In case Valerie called back. In case something went horribly wrong with Phantom. They sat in silence for several minutes before Vlad eventually spoke up. “We should- um… We should probably get you trained.”

Danny perked up upon hearing that they were doing something even remotely fun. “Training?”

Elsewhere, in the Ghost Zone, Ember and Skulker floated back to his island. Both looking arguably disturbed, though the larger more so in a state of perturbation. This entire situation was really bad. History, even though not a one to one, was repeating itself. A ghost gaining an excess of power and going bezerk had happened before. It even started out just as small of a problem as this, but it grew to beyond a crisis within a matter of days. Pariah Dark. While barely any ghosts that existed back then were around now, the stories surrounding his rise to power were fairly well known. Less so to some of the newer arrivals, but to the older group, like Skulker, it was common knowledge. He hadn’t always been that massive; powerful, sure, but still average size. He even looked like a normal king back then. It was only when he obtained a great power that didn’t belong to him, the Ring of Rage and the Crown of Fire, that he transformed into the gigantic demon everyone was now all too familiar with. The overwhelming power consumed Pariah… he became enraged and cruel; even more so than he already was. Danny seemed to have gone through a similar situation. Skulker didn’t know what happened to make it this way, but regardless of cause, the hero known as Danny Phantom was to be no more. Both the living world and the Ghost Zone were in severe danger… As the two were landing on the island, they were rapidly approached by a pair of other figures. The Box Ghost nearly crashed into Skulker, but he stepped aside, letting Box smack into a tree instead. The other, who apparently actually had breaks, stopped in front of them. “THE GHOST CHILD WHAT?!” Technus yelled in an anxious panic.

Ember glared daggers at the Box Ghost. “You ran away from the fight just to tattle?!”

Box shook off the impact of ramming face first into a tree. “Hey, you heard Skulker! That kid’s gone full Pariah mode! What if he finds his way into the Ghost Zone?! We can’t hide in the living world this time! We’d be doomed!”

The cyborg grunted. Those statements weren’t false. Ember began telling him to shut up, mostly because his voice sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard, but Skulker interjected. “No, no, he has a point. The ghost king’s domain was here, so the living world was a relatively safe hiding place, but Daniel’s rule will likely start in it. Considering he appears to be locked in his ghost form, it’s highly possible that he'll easily make his way here as well.”

Technus pulled back. “So it IS true! The ghost child snapped!? Unbelievable…” Ember folded her arms, questioning what exactly the plan was. The scientist floated up, looking around the swirling void as if mapping it out. “I might have some ideas… but chances are it’ll take a while.”

Back at Fenton Works, Valerie rummaged through the inventions and gizmos left behind; trying to search for anything that could help contain the phantom. He couldn’t stay in the thermos forever, and even now, it would periodically wobble as he attempted to break out. Beakers and gadgets glowed with an otherworldly brightness as she darted past racks of ghost-hunting equipment. Her heart was pounding not just from the adrenaline of being in this bizarre place, but from the urgency of her mission. She knew the Fenton’s were dead, that there was nobody there to tell her off for touching these things, but something inside her felt like she was trespassing. Like any second she’d get caught by Jack or Maddie coming down the stairs. Yet the house above remained silent. Phantom, still inside the thermos, was furious, rattling against the metal walls with a force that made it increasingly obvious it wasn’t a permanent imprisonment.
“Come on, come on!” Valerie muttered to herself, scanning the chaotic lab for anything that might help. She knew she had to act quickly; the spectral boy’s rage was palpable, and she could only imagine the catastrophe that would unfold if he managed to break free. Valerie’s eyes darted over piles of equipment, her mind racing. She couldn’t help but start to truly realize how bizarre this whole situation was. She remembered how Danny had helped her in the past; how he’d been more than just a ghost, but a friend. Even though she’d never knew. But now, he was an uncontainable force, and she had to treat him like any other ghost threat. Her fingers brushed against a strange device, reading the label. “Fenton Freeze Ray,” which caught her attention. “Huh. Can you even freeze a ghost?” she whispered, turning it over in her hands. “I’m starting to think there’s a reason Danny never went to his parents to help with ghost fighting.”

CLANG

Phantom kicked the wall of the thermos with both feet, feeling its crisp, white boots slightly dent the metal. It growled as it attempted to break free again. “I know you’re out there Valerie!” The spirit roared. “I’m gonna get out of here- and when I do- YOU’RE DEAD! You hear me!? DEAD!”

The girl watched the thermos on the table intensely, listening to the threats. She needed to find something NOW. Frantically, she rummaged through every box, drawer and shelf down there. Till finally, she pulled out a strange belt- like device. A yellow sticky note was attached to it, reading- ‘Fenton Specter Deflector: Repels and weakens any ghost that comes into direct contact with the person wearing it. (personal ghost shield prototype)’

Just then, a loud crash erupted from the thermos. A sudden blast of power whipped through the lab as Phantom’s frustrated voice echoed inside. The sides were heavily dented now; moments from breaking. Out of pure desperation, she wrapped the belt around the capsule and clicked the invention on. An immediate discharge erupted from the gadget, and Phantom screamed out in pain. Once the Specter Deflector seized to attack, the boy fell silent. Had it worked…?

Elsewhere, Vlad jumped out of the way of the clone, who’d just attempted to tackle him. The man winced, gripping his injured side. “Good job my boy! You’re getting better at fighting by the minute!” He stumbled back, leaning against the wall and trying to catch his breath. He was NOT resting like he was supposed to. In fact, the absolute opposite. Danny’s fighting position faltered as he watched Vlad need to close his eyes and regulate his breathing.

“Father? Maybe you should take a break. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”

Vlad chuckled. “Nonsense little badger, I’ll be fine. I’ve been hurt before- trust me. Now, how about you try going ghost?”

Danny awkwardly took a few steps back and looked down at himself. “How?”

Vlad opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. He didn’t actually know. But he did know Danny was capable of it. Clone or not, it was more than evident that the boy possessed the originals ghost DNA. He would be destabilized immediately if he didn’t. Yet for some strange reason, he couldn’t seem to activate it. The forsaken halfa cleared his throat. “I’m not entirely sure. It’s just something that happens. When you want it to of course.”

Danny nodded, assuming an action hero stance. He took a deep breath, puffed out his chest, closed his eyes, and punched straight towards the sky. “I’M GOING GHOST!”

….

..

.
Nope.

Nothing happened.

Danny opened one eye, noticing the blunder, and tried again. And again… and again. Try after try, nothing happened. Defeated, the boy groaned and plopped down on the cold, tile floor. “Would you be mad at me if you found out I couldn’t transform...?” He whispered.

Vlad was admittedly a little disappointed, yes, but shook it off, replacing it with the same old smile. “Of course not my boy! Besides, if you ended up being defective, I’d be entirely my fault, not yours. I created you after all. Now! You’re still very young, I don’t expect you to get it right away.”

Danny felt something wrong about that. He knew Vlad was trying to cheer him up- at least he thought that was what he was trying to do- but something unintentionally stuck out. He’d used the word ‘DEFECTIVE.’ So something WAS wrong with him. At least, possibly. Whether he’d meant it to or not, the idea kind of hurt… Vlad only wanted the best from him, but if he couldn’t go ghost, there’d be no point. He'd failed…

Then suddenly, something broke the silence. Vlad raced to the computer, quietly panicking as he checked the date.

Valerie breathed heavily, slowly backing away from the toppled thermos on the counter. It had worked! Phantom was captured! The next challenge was figuring out what to do with him now that he was contained. Quickly, she grabbed a bag and tossed it in, then began running up the stairs. But as she rounded the corner, something made her freeze. “DAD!?!!”

A larger man stood on the stairwell looking fairly upset; arms crossed and everything. “Valerie Gray! Is this where you’ve been sneaking off to?! Stealing the Fenton’s old ghost hunting equipment for yourself? Just because Jack and Maddie aren’t around anymore, does NOT give you the right to steal their stuff! Shame on you!”

Valerie stumbled over her words, in disbelief that her father thought she’d go that low. “Wh- what?! No, no, no! You got it all wrong! There’s a ghost that- Wait. Why are you here?”

The man huffed. “I’m here on official business. I got legal access to this place. Now don’t try to change the subject!”

What the heck did he mean by LEGAL?.. Valerie backed up slightly, unintentionally tightening her grip on the bag strap. Unfortunately, her father saw that as a defensive or protective action towards what he assumed to be stolen inventions. He demanded his daughter to hand over the bag, refusing to hear her out when she attempted to explain. Meanwhile, inside the thermos, Phantom was slowly losing his mind being in the dark, confided space.
“Valerie, I said give me the bag!” The man commanded. Like lightning, he lunged forward and grabbed the bag, easily yanking towards him. He and Valerie went at it like a greatly unfair game of tug-of-war. The girl began begging him to let go, but before her pleas could be taken to heart, he ripped the back away so hard that the thermos went flying out and crashing down onto the floor of the lab. The Specter Deflector snapped off, but the container remained unresponsive. Valerie frantically tried to rush to its side, but her father grabbed her arm to restrain her. “Goodness gracious, what has gotten into you?!"

“Daddy, look- I know what this looks like, but I swear I-“

CRACK

The thermos wobbled as the largest of the dents expanded to its limit. A moment of silence and dread hung in the air before an abrupt explosion of energy erupted from the gadget. The thermos was no more, and in its place knelt a very angry Phantom. Its eye twitched as its gaze locked onto Valerie and her father. The look in its ruby red eyes burned through Valerie’s chest. It was the look of betrayal and rage, yet a sense of emptiness lurked in the depths of the stare. It didn’t take long for the spirit to charge full force at the humans, but in a surprise blast, it was shot backwards into a cabinet. Valerie quickly whipped around to face the attacker. Two men stood on a higher part of the stairwell. They both wore a white tuxedo, black sunglasses, and a communication ear piece. The larger of the two wielded a ray gun, it's tip still smoking from the blast. They rushed down the stairs to get in front of the others, and they took aim once again. “Stand down you cretin!” one shouted. “You’re unauthorized to be here!” The second chimed in.

Unauthorized? Since when was it illegal for it to be in its old house?! Though, to their credit, Phantom supposed this WASN’T its house anymore. And in some strange sense it never was. So perhaps they had a reason to want such a destructive force out of the building. Besides, they didn’t know the phantom’s true identity. But really of all that, one question still remained. “Who the hell are you?” it growled.
The men stood up tall and professional. “That’s classified. But you may call us the men in white.”

Phantom felt something bubble up inside it, then it came out in a bizarre way. A chuckle. A twisted smirk slowly spread across its face as it rose to its feet. “Men in white?” it scoffed in an almost joking tone. “More like the corpses in red if I don’t see you run.”

The larger shot at the boy again, but this time it easily dodged every single blast while flying around the room. He growled irritatedlly as his target zoomed around like a mosquito on steroids, making impossible to get a clear shot. Suddenly, the boy appeared behind Valerie and her father. “Boo.”

Mr. Gray jumped, instinctively running the opposite direction with his daughter; which happened to be into the lab from the stairwell. The agents got in front of them in a protective formation. “When he queued us off it was safe to raid the lab, he didn’t mention an angry ghost would be haunting it.” One agent whispered to the other. It was loud enough for Phantom pick it up however. Wait- queued them off? As in someone told them the Fenton’s were dead and it was safe to raid their stuff?! Who would-?! Phantom roared as it barreled down towards the agents, fists engulfed in ectoplasmic energy. The two men dodged and resumed open fire, but the phantom went intangible to let the ammunition faze through. With a powerful plasma blast, one agent got flung into a wall, injuring their left shoulder. Valerie, in a moment of panic, grabbed her dad, summoned her hovercraft, and rocketed out. Phantom watched them escape, but they weren’t his priority, so he couldn’t care less in that moment. With force it didn’t know it had, the boy blasted the second agent and pinned the wounded man to the ground. “Why are you here?!”

“I- we- we’ve been keeping an eye on this facility for a while now, so when someone called to inform us that I’d been abandoned due to an accident, we… ah…”

Phantom growled, pushing harder on their neck as a threat. “WHO?” it hissed.

“S- someone named Masters! He told us there were some very dangerous objects down here that he would help confiscate since he was an expert, but he’d allow us to take anything else we wanted for testing. He was supposed to meet us here, but-..” The man coughed, trying desperately to breathe and speak under the pressure phantom was putting on his throat. The boy froze at the information. Everything all at once clicked. Vlad had made a phone call after the funeral, and then when Danny was settling in at the castle, he had told him he’d have to leave in a few days on important business. THAT’S why Vlad was so insistent on Danny moving in with him as soon as possible. He wanted him far enough away in a different state that he wouldn’t interfere when he went back and stole Jack and Maddie’s stuff! The spirit was enraged.

“That good for nothing cheesehead asshole!” It shouted. It had half the mind to fly out and kill him right now if he wasn't already dead, but there was one more thing they needed to finish…

“Let’s make good on my little name change suggestion…” Its eyes glowed red as it got closer to the agent.