#dannymay2020

Sometimes it’s best to start a story near the end. This end, however, is one of many. Death is unbiased, life is unbiased. Every action has a definitive reaction and every moment has an effect on another.

Daniel Lee Fenton had a fairly standard childhood growing up in a home-based prosthetic clinic….. Well, as standard as possible when his parents’ hobbies centered on the paranormal. Galvanized metal, wires, buckets of bolts and strange glowing lights synthesized from artificial ectoplasm littered everything. Ectoplasm was the energy source of the future, more potent than a battery or electricity and able to adapt remarkably with the human nervous system. A bioenergy that could synchronize with lost musculature and human anatomy flawless. Phantom limbs could be given new life with bioelectronics and precise engineering so that veterans could walk, the deaf could hear and those paralyzed could achieve mobility again. The science was still considered new, the resources and grants for research limited. And so? Only the rich could afford the prosthetics. Athletes, lawyers that had lost limbs to cancer, notable figures in the government… All given with a signed release form prior to the attachments or products being fashioned and placed with Madeline Fenton’s renowned expertise for adjustment and nerve assessment. But there was a snag with the research. Artificial ectoplasm tended to lose energy after a few years and parts needed to be replaced regularly to prevent corrosion or loss of movement. This, of course, led to the obvious need to conserve funds and resources which lead to experimentation in the home.

His parents, the people who were wary of the paranormal and claimed ghosts as a danger, began cobbling together ‘the portal’ when Daniel was nine. A portal to an uncharted layer of reality between death and life. The venture was a bid to gather naturally occurring ectoplasm for prosthetics. Naturally occurrent ectoplasm was far more stable and lasted longer than the artificial variety and didn’t need charged prior to use.

The portal didn’t help the rumors circulating in town. Ghostbuster knockoffs, spook cooks, the Fenton Menaces… Their reputations preceded them everywhere they went and starting in high school the taunts and bullying had begun in earnest for their youngest child.

Daniel still had his friends though, a socially awkward geek named Tucker and an eccentric goth named Sam.

The portal was always a passing topic of discussion. Wiring seemingly damaged, odd cuts in the panels, damaged service hatches and parts. Things just tended to be out of sorts around or with the portal in one way or the other.

And regrettably, it had failed to cut on again during a test run. The master cord to the grid had been plugged in two days prior and all they had gotten was a few zaps. Power just couldn’t divert properly through the artificial ectoplasm circulating in the filtration housing chamber. Dr. Fenton was at her wit’s end and both parents had decided that it may just be time to cut their losses and simply rely on improving the artificial ectoplasm. Plans for sending in a drone on New Year’s day to activate the internal components were now on hiatus until further notice. The readouts on the front of the portal read the same no matter what they tried so power input would just fry the circuitry.

What the Fenton patriarchs did not know was that the portal was going to activate under a set of rather extraordinary circumstances while they were away visiting a patient.
The date was December 29th, 2015, four days after Daniel’s fourteenth birthday. His sister Jazmine had gone to the store for cocoa and marshmallows so he and his two friends could celebrate him turning fourteen together before New Years’.

Said teen was currently leading his friends down to the basement, smiling brightly. “Okay, so I’ve been working on something. Don’t laugh okay?”

Sam smiled and Tucker smirked. Adjusting his glasses, Tucker’s greyish green eyes locked with Daniel’s blue smugly, “The only way I would laugh at you is if you were going to try gifting that ‘gag’ toilet paper to us as a party favor.”

Daniel cringed at the mention of the toilet paper his father had ordered with his face pressed into the ply. A gag gift that regrettably had come in bulk to the clinic and most certainly was a regret purchase compared to the normal ‘Fenton Works Prosthetics’ logo Jack Fenton usually ordered for the building.

“Yeah, no. I’m not giving you guys toilet paper with my dad’s face on it.” Then Daniel turned toward a medical locker near the stairs and opened it. Rustling through the sheets and some spare pajama sets used for patients staying overnight in the observation’s center. “Besides I said I’ve been working on something.”

Hands grabbed a bundle of white fabric and pulled it out so it could be unveiled in front of the two with a flourish. Tucker whistled and looked over the modified hazmat suit with a smile, “You cut off the face part?”

Daniel nodded with a beaming smile and pointed to the black collar on the suit, “I don’t need it once I make the helmet.”

Sam’s gloved hand reached out and thumbed a patch on the left shoulder of the suit. There were three. A space pilot patch, a radioactive symbol patch, and a Colorado State patch. The top was triangular, the middle circular and the bottom rectangular. On each shoulder, there was a black tab of fabric meant to look like a uniform’s epaulettes. Padding had obviously been added in at the knees and the elbows, clearly defined by careful little black stitches in the white fabric.

Tucker whistled, “That’s probably one of the coolest space suit costumes I’ve seen.”

Daniel grinned dopely, “ I know right? I got the idea watching Star Trek and found a spare hazmat suit to toy around with in the vault.”

Sam nodded and her hand went to her ‘vintage’ polaroid smugly before she snapped a photo of the intrepid explorer and his suit. The photo shot out with an electric whirring and she shook it out with a grin. “So have you tried it on yet or?”

Daniel rubbed the back of his neck nervously and his freckled face scrunched with embarrassment. “Eh…no actually. Mom and Dad have been working on the portal the last week and I couldn’t get down here to try it out.”

Sam smiled brightly and dragged his arm toward the center space of the lab, past the shelves and near the round portal bordered by hazard stripes and safety protocol signs. “Try it on.”

Daniel grinned and nodded before glancing to the portal, “You know what maybe we should get some photos inside the portal?”

Tucker raised an eyebrow, “The supposedly dangerous portal bordered by stickers and signs warning about electrocution?”

Daniel smiled sadly and rubbed the back of his neck, “Actually my folks are probably going to convert the space into another vault…The energy readings keep flatlining so opening an actual tear through dimensions or even getting the ‘operations’ light on the top is going to be an impossibility. Dad blames ghosts.”

Tucker snorted, “Really?”

Sam looked to the portal and sighed, “So all of that work-”

“-is toast. Botched. Scraped.” Daniel answered dejectedly. “They tried plugging it in and the entire grid flatlined. It didn’t even read on the machinery.”

Then his eyes went to the portal, “But I think it’s something to do with the breaker panel. They thought it fried but I think the breaker flipped.”

Tucker crouched down and looked into the space, lifting a refurbished PDA and his Samsung to take a photo. The PDA lit up the dark corner while the phone’s camera clicked. “But the panel is in the back of the portal right?”

Daniel nodded, “Yep.” There was a glance into the briefly illuminated space. The glowing emergency strips embedded in the sides of the structure and on the floor briefly caught the light and reflected a neon green in his blue eyes.

Sam gave a soft smile as he tugged on the boot portion of his suit, “Over here space cadet.”

A photo was snapped and she took the photo out as she looked down to Tucker to get his attention, “I think he looks pretty cool in his dopey white suit.”

Tucker snorted and looked up, “It would be wayyyyy cooler with the ladies if it was black. Full bad boy ghostbuster vibes.” Then Tucker laughed into his hand, “ Or a plumber.”

Daniel rolled blue eyes as he inspected the inside of the machine. “Ha.Ha.Ha.”

‘Wouldn’t it be cool if I got it working?’

Sam hummed behind him. “You know Friar Tuck may be right… Black is a pretty good color.”

‘I wonder what could be on that other side. The next frontier?’

There was a reach of a gloved hand to zip the suit. “It’s an astronaut suit, not a ghostbusters suit guys.”

Sam chuckled and smiled, “Whatever you say Venkman.”

Daniel snorted at Sam’s words and went to think of a retort when a black boot caught a cord on the floor. Body pivoted forward in free fall and blue eyes were wide as a hand pressed forward. Then the world ripped to pieces and shattered in an instant as his hand brushed the internal ‘on’ switch. The very one his parents had planned on pressing with a drone for New Years prior to the supposed short. Electricity like lightning crackled up limbs and the machinery on the outside of the portal whirred to life, flashing an otherworldly green. Daniel was oblivious to it as his body and very soul were ripped to and fro like a ship in a storm, darting between light and the portal’s harsh metal walls. Energy arched and a warped as a terrified scream resonated. Skin flickered transparent, vine-like lines of energy morphing and flickering under the flesh in lightning patterns.

Everything burned as the air was ripped away and back arched before he slammed back against the far wall. Something was forming at the end of the tunnel. Water dripped down cheeks, glowing and fizzling in the overly bright space. Seconds felt like an eternity and tears dissipated to nothingness as green sprung out and ripped the boy apart, restitching and recreating him in an instant. The burning felt bone-deep as he continued crying out, vomiting and clawing the air in terror. Something snapped in his chest as he fell forward so a gloved hand, briefly white, shifted back to black.

Boots crawled against the floor, sluggish and incoherent as stray sparks from the gateway latched onto his limbs, each one flickering and warping like mist before solidifying. A hand clawed near the outside edge of the portal. Sam and Tucker screamed and then his friends were tugging him out.

“DANNY! Danny oh’ god! Wake up!” Sam was crying, face streaked and mascara running down her cheeks.

Tucker thumbed a hand to Daniel’s neck, “He’s alive. I think he’s just in shock. Sammy help me, we have to call 911.”

Daniel’s eyes flickered green and a hand numbly reached for Tucker only to pass through him. Tucker went wide-eyed and screamed in horror. “Oh god, he just-”

Sam dropped her phone and the screen cracked against the metal flooring. A trembling hand went to her mouth and there was a panicked look to Tucker. They had killed their best friend. Daniel’s hand resolidified against his stomach with a weak flop and eyes, a bright inhuman and glowing green fluttered before closing. Tucker took a calming breath, checked Daniel’s pulse again and quickly unzipped the hazmat suit. Faint glowing green burn lines could be seen snaking under and around arms “Sam? Grab the boots and pull.”

Purple nails scraped into the black rubber and yanked while Tucker lifted Daniel’s legs up and began detangling them from the suit.

Soon the duo were sliding their friend over their shoulders and carrying him up the basement stairs. From there? There was a turn out of the kitchen into the lounge and then to his room on the second floor across from Jazmine’s.

A car could be heard pulling up outside, not the telltale loud thumping of wheels from the Fenton’s preferred method of transportation but rather the sounds of Jazmine’s small 2010 Toyota Corollol rolling into the garage at the back of the house. Both teens froze on the stairs, wide-eyed and terrified before rushing up the last few steps and into Daniel’s room. Band posters and comic books blew with the force of the door.

Tucker lifted Daniel up, blinking at how light he was before rushing the teen to his bed in the center of the room to their left. The window curtains blew slightly and Sam rushed over to them to slam the opening shut as Tucker pulled a blanket over Daniel. There was a direct look to Sam, “We need to distract her. If he’s a ghost.Sam- He has a pulse but…You saw that right?”

“I know. We need to distract Jaz until Danny wakes up then we need to call the Fenton’s…” Sam replied, shoving the singed and burnt space suit on to the floor with her camera before grabbing Tucker’s arm and rushing them out of the room and downstairs.

Jaz was kicking off her shoes just outside of the garage and looked towards them as they turned into the hall next to the living room, “Sorry I was held up. The craziest this really, a power outage clocked off the stoplights up the street so I had to reroute.” There was a pull off a scarf and a toss of a pink jacket onto a hook before Jaz raised an eyebrow, “Where’s Danny?”

Sam looked upstairs and pointed, “Sleeping. He conked out pretty hard and told us to wake him up in a bit.”

Jaz raised an eyebrow but nodded, grabbing the two bags on the bench below the coat rack and going toward the direction of the kitchen, “I’ll start the coco up. Can you two find a movie that isn’t Christmas themed? His birthday was pretty lackluster again thanks to the portal shenanigans.”

Tucker nodded and went to the living room, clearing away various boxes and gizmos from the couch but still stealing glances upstairs. Sam was the same, looking up every few seconds as if silently praying Daniel would wake up on his own.

Regrettably, they got their wish. Daniel woke up, scared and alone in his bedroom with a seemingly over itchy wool blanket rubbing against the light burns on his arms. His Casper High t-shirt was totaled with a hole burned straight through the red circular school logo on his breast. A hand clutched to his heart shakily, feeling it beating through icy skin. Then the real nightmare began. He fell. Fell right through every layer of his home to sprawl semiconscious on the floor of the basement lab

Eyes teared and fingers clawed into the metal grating as stomach did somersaults. Fingertips and legs felt like they had fallen asleep or possible had been microwaved after being frozen. Blue converse squeaked clumsy to run to the lab sink. Eyes…Oh god, his eyes and-

Then he screamed as he backed up. Clothes were shifting and warping, lungs ripping away and feet catching in the floor like quicksand before a beeping emanated from the workbench. Then the gun went off. The gun his parents had made to protect from ‘ghosts’. A dud on any other day. Jazmine ran down the stairs at the scream as did Tucker and Sam but all they found was droplets of what looked like artificial ectoplasm splattered with red. Daniel shivered against himself, holding his chest wide-eyed and terrified at a simple realization. He was invisible to them. Then he ran, up the stairs, through the kitchen and the lounge and right up the stairs leading to the second floor before he hit his room and slammed the door shut.

Skidding to a halt near his closet, he ducked in and hugged his chest to his knees, rocking back and forth until static reached out from his center and made him more solid, and heavy. Like water added to a tank. Fingers clenched into hair, breathing stuttering as lungs fully regrew for fresh air between panicked and muffled sobs.

Danny Lee Fenton was now the one thing his parents had adamantly claimed as a monster from the time he could walk. Fingers clutched the bleeding wound on his chest numbly, tearing in slightly to the point it was almost blackout inducing. He needed to get rid of the clothes…To hide this before his sister and friends saw.

Ripping off his t-shirt and tossing it under the bed, one thing was for certain. He could never tell his mom and dad. Not what he had done…Not the fact he had gone into the portal out of a foolish sense of adventure or pride….And certainly not because a part of him had taken pride in the fact that he, just maybe, could get their attention for the first time in months.

And so Daniel hid it and two years passed. Two years of stumbling through adolescence and puberty and making himself into a sort of vigilante with their equipment. The portal worked and ghosts seemed to come out of it more often than not to stake claim or muck up the day to day lives of Amity Park, Colorado.

Armed with a soup canister he faced many villainous ghosts and over time had lamented the exploits into an almost comical rendition to make up for how depressed and anxious he had become. Life just seemed to go on.

One such villainous entity was Vladimir Masters, a halfa, who seemed more Disney villain than reality…

He loathed that man whose very existence pivoted on harebrained schemes. Attempted murders via ghostly henchmen, plots against his father at a highschool reunion via a possession, join the dark sides speeches, giving a teenager ecto weapons to kill her classmates, stranding Daniel and his mother in the Rockies just outside of Wyoming, then the skeleton key search resulting in a ghost hunt with Daniel’s head on the line, thievery against a ghost that pulled Amity Park, Colorado into the ‘zone….Then Vlad became the mayor of said town through a ‘rigged election’ in May of 2018.

Then things got dark. Very dark. There had been clones of Daniel made by the other halfa. Daniel considered it one of Vladimir’s acts of desperation for a family, warped and twisted as each ‘clone’ faded save for a girl. The young ‘clone’ and Daniel defeated Vladimir and left him in the wreckage of his hunting lodge. Then there was the capture of said clone for genetic material only a few months later. And then there was the giant asteroid that got swatted on a collision course with Earth because of Vlad…

Little did Daniel know, he was part of a much larger story…

And that nothing is ever as it seems.

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From the EIDOLON COMPLEX

Clockwork interrupted emotionally, his portion of his damaged core lashing out as he pointed his staff to the boy frozen in place beside him, “ And what was I supposed to do Daniel?! He wouldn’t tell me what was happening! I walked in on him ripping his rib cage apart with gauntlets forged from the ring of rage and the crown of fire. Green claws were ripping into flesh and bone-like tissue paper and he was still tearing his undeveloped core out! Killing himself by ripping away his ghost half from his human half! YOU WERE MY ONLY CHANCE OF REACHING OUT TO HIM! But guess what?! I messed it up and everyone paid the price! Me?! You?! Him?! All damned because human beings feel and manipulate information given and warp it! I tried to warn and all it did was condemn everyone!”

Daniel took a step back in shock and horror. Then things clicked…Horribly and sickeningly clicked. The Dark Dan incident had been what Vlad had referenced. Clockwork had used an artifact after Vlad had tried killing himself to show Daniel a warning only for the teen to warp the information given into Vlad’s ghost form taking over him because he didn’t want to feel pain anymore. Vlad was in pain…Vlad had used the gauntlets to try and rip something out of himself and whatever that something was had been dangerous. Dangerous enough to pose a threat to both of them and the world if left unchecked. Eyes looked up to Clockwork before a fanged mouth growled, “ Dark Dan. That demonic phantom carved from me and Vlad? That was an artifact laced dream wasn’t it?!”

Clockwork growled, “ Yes and no. I took energy from him while he was recovering and siphoned it by manipulating a bond he has with you. You’re linked by more than just the bonds of your past at this point. I tried to get you to see past his idiocy to save him before he ceased. Do you want to know what Dan Phantom was Daniel? That was Vladimir’s fate. His soul was trying to reach out to show us and you saw your humanity and love in him and magnified the loss and fear you felt to create an image that fit your preconceived notions of him. The Observants were against me trying to interfere with the embassary’s personal affairs. I saw what was happening briefly and knew he would perish so I put my hopes in you! A pure child who was new to our world and would be able to see the purity in him. A second chance Daniel.”

Daniel stumbled slightly. He felt sick….Absolutely sick. The being that had plagued his nightmares for more than a year was nothing more than his mind’s warped insecurities from Clockwork trying to get him to reach out to Vlad. Arms gripped the table as he looked down at Vladimir, peaceful if only for the moment due to the time stop. Hand’s cracked the wood slightly as he gripped. “What happened….What happened that was so damn horrific and warped my mind would rationalize it with that fanciful bloodbath? Of a hero turning into a monster …a villain.”

Clockwork’s teeth gritted, “Wouldn’t I just love to know that? The day I tried reaching out with you? He was in critical condition in the bedchambers up the stairs. Comatose and barely breathing save for small puffs of wet air every few minutes. I lured you, Sam, Jaz, and Tucker into my tower and lulled them into a joint dream with you that I could try to view on the time screens. Something dark interfered and out of fear for your sister and friends I sent them back to Amity Park with a blanket over their experiences and an energy pull that would back off of your dream to make everything cohesive. A team of heroes to save a dying knight. Your core pulsed erratically from whatever was lurking in him and he appeared to stop the transfer of ideas and thoughts, using his mark to make you piece together a different set of scenarios before punching me hard enough to break every bone in his left arm.”

Daniel was shaking and his voice laced with venom, “ So instead of being a fucking adult and helping him you traumatized me and my family to the point I was clinically depressed and suffering PTSD nightmares from something that wasn’t even going to happen to me?!”

Clockwork’s hands balled as he turned old and weary. Red eyes clenched as he looked back to Vladimir and his voice broke. “ Because I couldn’t…Daniel trust me I wanted to-” A child form flashed before shifting to a middle-aged render of Clockwork. Hands gripped his time staff like a lifeline.

Daniel shook his head and motioned to Vlad. “ Why couldn’t you?! Not important enough or were you just too lazy to step up to-”

Red eyes snapped to the boy and a hand went to a purple tunic. Fangs bared as the clock illusion shielding the sickly core pulses dissipated before the time master ripped the fabric with clawed hands to expose the concave spot in his chest. A core with no protective covering save for a thin layer of scarred blue tissue pulsed with faded blue and a temperate gold from within the flesh. There was a snarl, “Because I can’t leave this clocktower! Twenty minutes is the maximum on your plain I can withstand before I begin fading! Tell me how I was supposed to save someone when I myself am barely here?!”

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Sam was starring from the door, wide-eyed like a kid who had stuck her hand in a cookie jar only for a parent to come around the corner. Vlad motioned her forward. “ One last thing. When someone answers the door, ask before shooting, hmmm? I just nearly destroyed the neighborhood because of your stupid stunt.”

She looked faint. “ You?…. I thought…. I tripped out of the way of that machine… You couldn’t have.” Vlad’s eyebrow twitched. “Ms.Manson? The only reason you’re not dead is because I was able to latch onto your ankle and turned us both intangible.”

Looking over to Tucker, he groaned. “ At least this one has some brains- Then again…” He glared at the teen, “Tell me Mr.Foley, with all your technical prowess and expertise, is illegally downloading government software to speed up a video game really worth it?”

Tucker’s mouth widened and he flinched. “ Um…. How did you-?”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “What? Do you think I wouldn’t keep tabs on you all? You are kids! Ms.Manson’s folks are too pompous to care for her little rebellious streak and your parents are too kind to notice your own idiotic stunts!” Feeling dizzy, Vlad groaned and put a palm to his forehead. “Uh… my head….”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “ Since when did you start spying on them? I didn’t peg you as the protective type.”

Vlad snickered. “ Since when are you the expert on me? Last time I checked, you hated me prior to yesterday.” Vlad then put a hand numbly across his waist and grimaced. “I only started truly spying on them after I realized a nature sprite took over Amity while I was away.”

He absently put a hand to the bridge of his nose. “I leave for what? A week? Next thing I know, I’m hearing news about a Leafman terrorizing an urban populace.” Vlad’s eyes sparked crimson and he snarled, “ It’s a shame it attempted to feed on humans. Blasted demon…” Vlad shivered. “Finding a disposing of the little weed before it could find a living host again was such a hassle.”

Daniel paused. “ Leafman?”

Sam, however, answered, “ It’s a nature spirit, one who is often associated with architecture. It’s usually not linked with an actual creature though.”

Vlad smiled tiredly. Clapping sarcastically he looked over to the girl. “Yes, usually… That thing, however, was a poltergeist created from the collective hatred for urbanization and expansion in Amity. An artificial spirit or ghost made from raw emotion and not the death of an actual person.”

Daniel’s eyes widened, “Wait? Undergrowth?”

Vlad yawned. “ Yep. Poor Skulker and Romulus dragged me halfway across the ghost zone looking for the blasted monstrosity once it darted through a natural portal somewhere here in town.”

Vlad groaned. “ Let me tell you, getting impaled in that thing’s home turf? Extremely painful…” He absently rubbed a segment of his chest just below his right shoulder. Glancing at Daniel, he snickered. “ Just thank your lucky stars poltergeists are weak on this side. Otherwise? You’d have been done for.”

Daniel glared at the adult. “ Weak? What are you, crazy? That thing zombified the entire town and was trying to turn everyone into mulch!”

Vlad laughed, “ Little-Badger? That thing was a million times worse in its domicile. Its pollen could control a human being in the ghost zone. And it’s limbs? Each branch was able to create toxins lethal to both humans and ghosts. Skulker nearly bit the dust and if I hadn’t used my body to shield Romulus? He’d be history as well.”

Sam swallowed. Turning to the girl, he sighed. “ Ms. Manson? Come here. I have to check something.”

She stepped forward and his right hand shot out behind her neck instantly. She was out before she realized what was happening. Both Tucker and Daniel became enraged and rushed forward only for Vlad to put up a shield between them. Lifting Sam onto the table, Vlad growled angrily. “ Of course… No wonder my entire body froze at the door. Blasted thing planted a seedling in her neck!”

Both Daniel and Tucker froze at this and the adult questioned,“ I take it she was its host?”

Vlad unwrapped some of the gauze on his shoulder. A circular scar was turning black and pulsating outward in vine-like patterns. Grimacing, he felt the spot before turning back to Sam and gently lifting her head. Raising his right palm, the entire room fluctuated with brilliant white.

The hand grasped onto the back of her neck and pulled at something before he extracted a small, red bead-like object. It immediately broke open at his touch and a black mist shot out. Thorny branches snaked across Vlad’s palm and rubbed into his flesh. He smiled condescendingly at the thorns engulfing the mark.

 “ Ashes to ashes…” Vlad snickered. The vines desperately struggled as he clasped his hand around the barbs, “ You should have just stayed dormant. I may have overlooked this if you had just picked a tree to guard or became a nymph but a human host? A regrettable decision on your part, one I’m finally going to alleviate.” His palm sparked and the entire room flashed. When the light cleared Vlad slumped and fell backward into the shield….

“ M’kay….. Maybe used to much…. The seal hasn’t been working properly for months…. Everything’s spinning again.” Grasping his head tiredly, he noted the blood dripping down his right arm.

“ Ms. Manson?” He sighed.“You are alright. Wake up will you?”

Sam shot up at her name and eyes opened wide and confused as she looked around. Seeing Vlad on the floor, she jumped down from the booth’s table. “What happened to you?”

Vlad annoyedly turned his face from the teen. “ My job. Or at least a segment of it. I honestly thought I disposed of all of that monstrosity. Maybe I could have avoided getting zapped earlier if I would’ve checked you last month…” Groaning, his head swayed and he fell over. “ Ow.”

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From the EIDOLON COMPLEX

“Excalibur’s herald, the Lady of the Lake.”

The woman reached her hand from the reflection and smiled. “ You have brought children to visit me?”

Vlad smiled tiredly. “ I do believe the young man and woman giving us company hardly count as children.”

The figure smiled and with a flash of light, she was in the room kneeling across from Vlad. She stopped abruptly and her brow furrowed. “ Embassary? Is something ailing you?”

Vlad bowed his head slightly more, “ Nothing dear fairie… Just fatigue.”

Sam gaped and squealed in delight and Tucker turned to Vlad in shock. “ You mean you had Excalibur lying around in your basement?!?!”

Vlad chuckled lightly. Vivian raised a silver brow and her blue robes swirled slightly, “ Is he talking about our arrangement good, sir?”

Vlad smiled, “ I was explaining artifacts to them. They are unfamiliar with the dangers present in this world and yours.”

Vivian bent down and curled a hand under Vlad’s chin. “ You haven’t touched the scabbard in a great many moons dear knight. Why? I’ve grown worried.”

Vlad flinched slightly and kept his gaze averted. “ I’ve just been busy with my duties.”

Vivian’s eyebrows weaved worriedly. “ Embassary? Look at me… please?”

Vlad refused and instead spoke to the teenagers. “ Ms. Manson? Mr.Foley? This is an artifact poltergeist that has gained its own soul from continued human belief. She’s a water spirit or fairie tempered into a spectral blade. She resides in my home as a form of protection to ensure no one uses her for ill gain.”

Vivian sighed exasperatedly and turned toward the teenagers. “ It’s a pleasure to make you acquaintances Sire Foley and Lady Manson.”

Sam bowed and seeing Tucker gaping, kicked him in the shin. Tucker quickly bowed his head as well. “ I-It’s a pleasure to meet you, fair lady!” The teen squeaked.

Vlad snickered. Vivian bowed in return and smiled cordially toward Tucker and Sam. Speaking up, she questioned, “Vladimir? May I show them fate’s tide?”

Vlad stiffened and looked up slightly to meet Sam and Tucker’s gazes. “As long as you explain to them what your premonitions are and why you seek shelter here I see no fault in them.”

Sam and Tucker gaped.

Vivian smiled warmly and motioned toward Sam. “ Come child. I wish to tell you your future. A possibility, a shadow set by preexisting circumstance and past action. Whether you are able to follow this path or avoid it is entirely up to you. No fate is set in stone.”

Sam swallowed. “ You’re an oracle?”

The faerie smiled lovingly. “ Yes, dear one. I see things as they progress. I note the tide, the brambles, and stones obscuring it. Before I was used for bloodshed. A weapon. My use, however, was only ever meant for the protection of others. I’m a spirit formed from a want to protect innocence and lovers from death.”

Sam nodded and looked from Vlad to Tucker before stepping into the pool of water.

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From the EIDOLON COMPLEX

Jack was checking the sample he had gathered from Vladimir’s home for probably the hundredth time that evening under the microscope in the lab. No matter how many times he checked the same anomalies kept popping up. For one thing? This strain of ectoplasm wasn’t the regular run of the mill sample Maddie and him would gather on their normal automated rover explorations into the zone.

Spectral ectoplasm, in essence, was an energy source that mimicked both liquid and solid properties while maintaining a consistent charge. At its base level, it looked extraordinarily like the clear, gell-ish outer layer of the amoeboid cells that were christened with the same name. The way it could stand rigid and also give to pressure like the small walls seen in the glass slides of laboratories across the globe had only added to the association.

Spectral ectoplasm, however, was not absent of the nodes or granials that the living counterpart lacked. Each segment would fluctuate and spike as energy was continually generated from within the ghost slime. There were no truly organic forms within ectoplasm or ectoplasmic energy. At least not living forms. The liquid had components that looked more like stacks of crystalline building blocks floating within neon green or blue jelly. Maddie and him had even begun researching its compatibility and similarities to known elements and had started their most recent thesis on its uses. Both had even discussed the possibility of adding it to the current periodic table after more data was gathered.

This sample rewrote all of the known rules Maddie and him had been studying and cataloging for months. Most striking of all? It had organic components… It had cells. Or at least newly generated structures that mimicked cells. At first, he had hypothesized cross-contamination from Vladimir but even that was a stretch. Ectoplasm was corrosive like battery acid. Human blood would have imploded and dried out on a cellular level with extended contact. The Fentons wore hazmat suits for a reason after all. But this? This strain broke every test, rule, and comparison Maddie and him could possibly have concocted.

Rubbing his temple, Jack glowered and put his eyes back to the lens. At the moment he did so, a bright white light engulfed the laboratory. Hissing in pain and rubbing his eyes, he cursed blindly for a minute or two before finally seeing something besides white spots. Glancing around and seeing his portal still closed and no signs of malfunctioning equipment, he froze.

‘ What on earth was that? A power surge?’

Taking the sudden change of lighting as ocular fatigue he quickly resolved to glance at the sample one last time before turning in for the night. To his horror, the sample was now nothing more than ash. Gaping in disbelief and then feeling a new wave of anger flaring up, he slammed a fist against the lab table in a fit of fury.

“ Plasmius must have done that….” Ramming his head into the table he growled in agitation, “Shit! How am I supposed to track down that fucker!?!?”

Maddie at that exact moment decided to come in through the front door upstairs. Hearing the noise, Jack groaned tiredly and glanced at the pizza boxes, soda cans, and crumpled napkins littering the usually sterile space. Sitting up from his stool, he quickly discarded his lab coat and snatched up the accumulated trash. Tossing it in the bin by the door he drowsily stacked the brief notes he had gathered from the specimen before it had disappeared and placed them by a few containers on the shelf by the lab computer.

Maddie stepped downstairs with a bag of donuts in hand and smiled warmly. Seeing him standing by the specimen shelf she raised an eyebrow, “ Jack? What are you up to now?”

“ I stopped by Vlad’s earlier.” Jack tiredly whispered.

Seeing something was wrong, Maddie set the bag in her hand on one of the movable lab tables and walked over to his side. Putting a hand on his shoulder she gently squeezed in comfort. “ What did he do this time?”

Jack tiredly rubbed his eyes. “ It’s not what he’s done… Something’s messing with him….” Turning to face her, he swallowed and flinched before looking into the floor. A hand rubbed the back of his neck nervously before he continued, “Daniel was lying to us earlier today. Vlad’s hurt… I used the ‘Spook Coop’ to get to his place. There was blood and ectoplasm all over the floor and walls upstairs.”

Maddie stiffened. “ You mean he was attacked?!?”

Jack rubbed his temple and groaned in exasperation. Looking to his spouse, he nodded yes and elaborated. “I also think Vladdie was the one that brought Danny back. I found his cufflink on that bloodied shirt Daniel was wrapped in.”

Biting his lip, he continued, “ And Maddie? I overheard Danny on the phone before he left earlier. He was telling his friends to keep Vlad in bed so he doesn’t aggravate his injuries or hack up blood. Something’s amiss and our kids are bullshitting us. Vladdie to…I got him on the phone earlier and his breathing didn’t sound right. He was trying to cover it up but I think he’s hurting more than he’s willing to admit.”

Maddie froze at the information and turned ashen. Turning abruptly, she made an attempt to go back upstairs only for Jack’s hand to latch out to her shoulder. “They’re not home Mads. Daniel and Vlad are somewhere else and they’ve refused to give me an address. I convinced Vlad to meet us tomorrow. I think we should probably knock him out when he shows up and cart him to a hospital. If the blood I saw is any indication he’s probably in critical condition.”

Whipping around, she worriedly questioned. “ Did you get any samples?!? Jack… we have to…”

Jack sighed again. “ I got a sample accidentally but it’s gone now. It spontaneously combusted before I could gather too much from it or add the ecto signature to a tracking device. I think I know who’s responsible though. There were two ghouls that cornered me at Vlad’s place… They attacked me and started gloating so it’s safe to assume they’re a part of this. I think the Wisconsin Ghost did most of the dirty work though.”

Maddie’s eyebrow twitched. “ That monster attacked Vladimir?!?”

Jack flinched. “ I think so. They were talking about him in passing but it’s obvious he was a part of it.”

Maddie rubbed her eyes tiredly. Looking up into her husband’s eyes she worriedly questioned, “ Do you think he was the one that took Danny?!?”

Jack’s stomach flipped uncomfortably at the thought. Pausing, he nodded gruffly. “That’s probably what happened…. That ghost had to have a reason to attack Vlad. It hates our family and Vlad saved a Fenton. It probably decided to get revenge.”

Maddie rubbed the bridge of her nose in frustration, “ Why didn’t you call me? Jack…. I could’ve helped you!”

Jack sighed. “ Phantom was there. He apparently has Danny and Vlad’s trust. I didn’t want us pissing them off before I can get to Vlad tomorrow with you. I don’t know what they’re pulling but him not being in a hospital can be fatal at this point. You saw that shirt Danny was wrapped in…. Jesus, it looked like someone mopped up a blood bank.”

Maddie grimaced and questioned. “ What did you gather from the sample you took? Is there any way to gather more?”

Jack casually plucked the notes he had taken up from the shelving and gave them to her. “That’s all I was able to figure out before it turned to ash. As for more samples? The stuff at Vlad’s is probably gone now so the only way would get another sample is if we catch the ghost responsible.”

Maddie froze as her eyes trailed over the meticulously scribbled notes. Looking up in shock she blanched, “ Are you sure?”

Jack nodded. “ Whatever it was? It was unlike any ectoplasm I’ve ever seen prior. It had structures similar to human blood cells Maddie!”

Maddie looked back at the pages and flicked through the notes in confirmation. “Jack…. Are they evolving?”

Jack frowned. “ I sure the hell hope not…But if this is anything to go off of? I think they may be trying to look more human.”

Maddie’s brow furrowed, “ Like that one perverted ghost that dated Jaz?”

Jack nodded.

Maddie rubbed her temple and turned to Jack worriedly, “ Why didn’t you tell me about that cufflink you found? Jack… I could have tailed the kids to wherever they were going and found out what happened.”

Jack turned away from her tiredly and popped the piece of metal out of his pocket, “Just because a cufflink has his initials doesn’t mean I had adequate proof Mads! The cufflink by itself didn’t give me anything to substantiate the theory… I mean… how could Vlad have found Daniel? If a ghost took him it could have dragged him god knows where. The only concrete evidence I had was Daniel panicking after you left while he was on the phone. After I overheard him I rushed over to Vlad’s and walked into a Nightmare on Elm Street parody in the upstairs bathroom. I would have told you but up until a few hours ago, I was just hypothesizing where the cufflink came from. And when it comes down to it I wanted to confront Vlad on my own… I had no clue they fled the house! Much less what I would find when I got there.”

Maddie sighed and set down the papers. Looking up to him she questioned. “ What are we going to do about the Wisconsin Ghost, Jack? If he’s threatening our babies or Vladimir…”

Phantom’s words reverberated through Jack’s skull.

‘YOU THINK WE’RE EMOTIONLESS?!?! FREE OF PAIN?!?! NEWS FLASH! I FEEL, DAMN IT! I FEEL YOUR WORDS, EVERY GODDAMNED STABBING SYLLABLE! I FEEL PAIN! I FEEL THE BLASTS! EVERY SINGLE SEARING BUZZ AND ZAPP THAT RICHOTETS THROUGH MY FLESH A MILLION TIMES MORE THAN A NORMAL WOUND! I FEEL EVERY SINGLE HIT THAT CONNECTS! I’M A HUMAN BEING FIRST!’

A shiver ran up the man’s spine. He wanted to teach Plasmius a lesson. He wanted him to hurt like Vlad undoubtedly was hurting…But if ghosts truly could feel… Did he have it in him to harm or even dispose of the ghoul? Would he be plagued by nightmares just as he was with Phantom? Looking to his wife, he furrowed his brow. “ What do you think we need to do Maddie?”

Maddie’s eyes narrowed to the cufflink in Jack’s palm. Taking it from him temporarily and inspecting the silver metal faintly rimmed in rust red tones, she frowned and fisted the hand. “Jack? I think we need to start living up to our titles. We’re ghost hunters. I think this is one ghost that needs to be put to rest.”

Jack tentatively reached for her hand. “Mads? If ghosts could feel… What if-”

She slouched her shoulders tiredly. “ Then wouldn’t it have empathy, Jack? If it hurt Vlad but could feel pain like us, wouldn’t it feel remorse?”

Jack nodded. “ I have some prototype guns down here that need fine-tuning. We can work on them before we pop over to Vladimir’s home tomorrow afternoon.”
Maddie sighed and gently handed the cufflink back to her husband. “ What are we going to do about Vladimir and the kids?”

“We’ll have to knock Vlad out as soon as possible. They won’t be able to protest too much if we get him sedated fast enough. After we get him to the ER? We’re going to ground the kids…”

Maddie snorted and tiredly rubbed her temple. “ Our kids lied about something this dangerous… Jack? Why would they-?’

Jack plopped the cufflink in his jumpsuit pocket and frowned. Curling his arms around her waist and leaning his head against her shoulder, he furrowed his brow. “ I think Vlad may have asked them to keep us out of the loop. You know how stubborn and foolish he can be at times Mads.”

Maddie flinched under Jack’s embrace and he stiffened. Sighing, he retracted himself from her. “ What was with that reaction?” A dark black eyebrow raised curiously in the dim lighting.

Maddie shrugged and crossed her arms tiredly. “ It’s nothing. I was just thinking of that trip I took with Danny to that science symposium.”

Jack prodded. “ And?”

Maddie smiled tiredly. “Jack? If your friend went behind your back and did something insanely stupid or hurtful…How would you go about handling it?”
Bringing a black-gloved hand to his jaw he averted his gaze to the floor as he pondered the question. “I’d probably knock some sense into him. Currently, I am considering doing so to Vladimir. That blasted moron just doesn’t know how to keep himself out of trouble. As soon as we get ahold of him tomorrow evening I’m going to be having some choice words regarding reckless child endangerment and foolish heroism with matters he scarcely understands. Vlad’s not a ghost expert and the idea of him trying to save Daniel by himself from some sort of specter just screams moronic.”

Maddie smirked. “ And what if the metaphorical friend pulled a really crappy prank regarding marital roles and betraying your trust? Would you still forgive the said person?”

Jack raised an eyebrow. “ What are you getting at Mads?”

She sighed and rubbed her fingers through her hair. Putting the gloved hand to his jaw, she crinkled her brow in a debating arch. “Just answer the question, honey.”

Jack looked to her in confusion but answered levelly, “ This wouldn’t have to do with Vlad’s weird behavior would it?”

Maddie quirked an eyebrow at the accurate assertion.

Jack rolled his eyes. “ Mads? I noticed the fake flirting a while back. Trust me… Vladdie is a lot smoother than that. If he wanted to really try and swing you over to him he would’ve done so with a lot more class and less comedic poise. I don’t know why he’s been annoying you but I can guarantee that’s what it is. I think he’s tried pulling the same thing with me except with low jabs and insults. The only thing I can reason that he’s getting back at us for is that whole reunion fiasco.”

Maddie gawked. Closing her jaw and narrowing her eyes, she growled. “Well, thanks for not telling me this sooner! Do you have any idea how much pent up hatred I’ve been harboring toward him? Jack… I poured scalding hot tea on his crotch for god’s sake!”

Jack winced. “ I thought you said that was an accident.”

Maddie averted her gaze to the floor. “ Well, now I wish it was…Jack? I actually thought he was coming on to me. Daniel thought he was coming on to me….”

Jack groaned tiredly and rubbed his eyes. “ Let’s get some sleep Mads… Tomorrow is going to be trying for both of us and by the sounds of it we both need to give him an earful.”

Maddie snorted and under her breath whispered, “ Him and you both.”

Jack tensed, "What?”

Maddie sighed, “ Nothing. Come on. We have a busy itinerary and a certain ghoul to track down in a few hours.”

Jack grabbed the bag of donuts from the lab table and nodded. Following her out of the laboratory, he flicked off the lights. Soon Fenton Works was as silent as the grave with only a few tell-tale hums and electrical buzzes to accompany the crickets outside.

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From the Eidolon Complex

Vladimir rubbed his eyes and stood up tiredly before he walked over to the closet. Finding a simple white button-up shirt and some slacks, he changed out of his pajamas. Then he made his way into the bathroom and glancing at his reflection. Blue eyes tiredly noted the strange hairstyle he was sporting and a hand fingered the now rough and stray hair laden braids, he began untying them.

It took quite a while to unwind the tangles and he attempted to phase the black hair tie out of his hair only to feel a pull of resistance against his abilities. ‘That’s right…Walker gave my Ophelia Blossom.’ Pushing against the wall like energy restricting his abilities Vladimir managed to phase the tie out. Then he leaned against the counter and stared at his bed-headed reflection. A hand-rubbed his cheek tiredly only for him to groan at the bristles. ‘ And now I need to shave.’

Brushing the tangles out of his hair, he piled all of his hair up into a loose ponytail. Vlad sighed at his weary image as he combed back his bangs and gelled them in place. Despite the unusual amount of sleep the last two days his body was still adamantly craving more rest. Reaching into the medicine cabinet he grabbed his straight razor, his cream brush, the wooden bowl, and the shaving soap. Making a lather, he began the task of applying it to his face.

The ice-cold suds helped him wake up substantially. Grasping the thin silver knife, he gently propped the blade at a thirty-degree angle against his cheek and tediously began trimming the unwanted growth away. After reaching to his face and cleaning off the equipment, he numbly reached for a towel and dried himself off.
He amusedly snorted as he looked at the glass. ‘ You’re a mess.’

Vlad then went to turn only to feel eyes at the side of his head, watching him intently.

Growling threateningly, he addressed the invisible figure. “ Whoever is hiding, I invite you to reveal yourself.”

No one answered or appeared at his voice and Vlad continued. “ Let’s rephrase. Come out now and I won’t have to beat you within an inch if your afterlife…”

A voice snorted. “ Not much of a morning person are you Vlad?”

Vlad’s shoulders relaxed slightly and his eyes became tired. “ Daniel?”

Daniel’s almost blue-green eyes flickered into view by the tub. The teenager sat down and twirled a glass of water and a couple of pills in his gloved hands. “ Yep, your resident dogooder and pill dispenser.”

Vlad rolled his eyes, “ I could do without the sarcasm, dear boy.”

Daniel smiled warmly and Vlad tensed awkwardly.

Daniel, in an attempt to quell the animosity he had tossed toward Vlad yesterday, complemented, “So you shave with a straight razor, huh? Where did you learn that?”

Vlad shrugged. “ In high school… I never liked the disposable razors and I was sick of getting a partial shave.”

Vlad smiled in memory of the person who introduced him to his blade. “Believe it or not, a woman taught me how to use it.”

Daniel gaped, “ A chic taught you how to use a straight razor?” Daniel’s jaw went slack. Swallowing, he questioned, “How?”

Vlad laughed, “ How else? By sitting me down and shoving the blade in my hands. She couldn’t very well use herself as an example. The woman didn’t have a hair on her that required such a tome.”

Daniel snorted. “ How did that fair for you?”

Vlad chuckled, “ I epically butchered myself under my chin and she yanked the blade out of my hands.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you allow the facial hair to be thicker there?”

Vlad paused and looked at himself in the mirror. “ Actually? I keep my hair like this because a friend recommended it. The scar I got from my razor blade fiasco healed before I graduated. I no longer have it.”

Vlad smiled slightly. “The razor I use was her father’s. From what I understand it was passed down for generations from father to son until she was born.”

Vlad yawned and looked to Daniel as he questioned. “ How about we go out for breakfast this morning?”

Daniel’s features grew confused. “Why?”

Vlad tiredly rubbed the back of his neck, “ I honestly don’t trust myself right now next to a stove and you’re no better.”

Phantom’s green eyes flashed slightly and then he rolled his eyes. “ To bad Sam and Tuck won’t be seeing us till this evening. They probably could have helped us make pancakes or something.”

Vlad sighed. “ I am never living the pancake thing down am I?”

Daniel grinned and motioned toward the glass and the pills he was holding, “ Just take some of this aspirin already? You look like shit.”

Vlad froze and turned to Daniel, “Language, young man…Language.”

Daniel snickered, “ Does the great Plasmius hate french?”

Vlad snorted, “ Ce n'était pas français.”

Daniel’s eyes went as wide as saucers. “ Did you just speak actual french?”

Vladimir grinned devilishly and took the glass an the pills from the startled teen. Walking toward the door, he quickly tossed the pills in his mouth and swallowed them down with a swig of the water. Before he was out of the bathroom, he playfully questioned, “ Une pilule difficile à avaler petit blaireau?”

Daniel groaned and chased after him. Vlad rolled his eyes. “ Little badger? Staying in Phantom form constantly just because you can won’t do your body any favors in the long run.”

Daniel rolled his eyes and questioned, “ Why?”

Vlad rounded the stairs with his house guest and froze abruptly. “ Daniel? Go get your hoodie.”

Daniel raised an eyebrow, “ Why? It’s not like it’s-”

Vlad smugly motioned toward the ceiling just as a clap of thunder emanated.

Mouth agape, the teenager prodded, “ Can you predict the future? That’s a ghost power right?”

Vlad smiled and shook his head no. “ I just could smell the rain coming… That, and sudden storms like the ones we’ve been having change barometric pressure. After you get enough broken bones the spots that are fractured begin to ache when the weather changes.”

Daniel quickly shut his mouth and flew into the guest room he had been occupying for the last two nights. A few seconds later, Daniel Fenton layered in an overly large hoodie and hole-ridden jeans rushed toward the landing. Seeing Daniel’s foot connecting to the edge of the staircase incorrectly, Vlad quickly latched onto his shoulders to prevent him from tumbling down the landing. Eyes locked on Daniel’s now blue and Vlad smirked almost smugly. “ I see why you prefer Phantom…you’re rather clumsy still, aren’t you?”

Then the adult released him and continued walking. Glancing nack over his shoulder at the furiously red teen, he added seriously, “ The reason you stumble into things and have problems finding your footing is that Phantom’s power was used for too long. Your other side is poking its way through your human form and turning things partially intangible when you’re not paying attention to keep up the power flow’s momentum.”

Daniel’s blue eyes widened. Vlad softly smiled slightly, “ You need to learn how to subtly release energy and how to adjust in human form.”

Turning from Daniel, Vladimir stepped into the hall and began walking toward the door. Stopping in the intersection between the entryway and the main hall, he made a detour and turned toward his office. A hand grabbed a trench coat and two umbrellas. He tossed Daniel one of the parasols and Daniel smirked. “ Fruit-Loop? Can’t we just create a shield overhead or something?”

Vlad snorted. “ I think you’re becoming too reliant on your abilities Daniel. It helps to be humble on occasion you know.”

Vlad gently tried pulling the coat over his shoulder only to wince in pain and start falling forward. Dropping the umbrella he was holding, Daniel quickly latched onto the adult to keep him upright. Vlad sighed and chuckled. “ Thanks for the save….” Wincing and numbly holding his chest, Vladimir straightened himself.

Averting his gaze from Daniel, he gently removed his hand and turned toward the door.

Daniel worriedly questioned, “ Are you sure it’s a good idea for you to go out in this weather? I can always fly over to a restaurant and bring back something…”

Vlad shrugged. “ I think the walk would do me some good.”

Daniel stiffened. “ You do realize we are a good forty-minute walk from town and another twenty minutes from any restaurants right?”

Vlad looked back at the teenager with an unspoken challenge. Daniel rolled his eyes and snatched his discarded umbrella before following in pursuit of the gray-headed adult.

Vlad opened the front door tiredly and motioned Daniel out with a curt nod.

Popping open their umbrellas in unison they began walking down the drive. Daniel in a bid for conversation questioned, “ So….broken bones…erm- I have had a broken arm and my leg got twisted a while back. What about you?”

Vlad paused and turned to Daniel with a tired expression. “ Daniel? Let’s put this under one of those really painful topics I would rather not explore with you until a later date?”

Daniel sighed. “ That’s not fair Fruit-Loop. I’m just curious is all… I know you’re pretty scarred and you were talking about the weather affecting your bones…”

Vlad answered. “ I’ve broken the majority of my bones more times than it’s possible to recap. Mostly my ribs. Can we leave it at that?”

Daniel nodded and changed gears. “ Sooooo….where are we walking to?”

Vlad grinned mischievously, “ The Nasty Burger.. Where else?”

Daniel gawked, “ You’re kidding right?”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “ What? Do you have a different preference?”

Daniel went ashen, “ Vlad? You do realize the majority of the teenage population in this town hates your guts right?”

Vlad paused and tiredly rubbed the bridge of his nose. “ Ah…yes… our little prank war.”

Pondering his options for a moment, Vlad cocked an eyebrow and smirked. “I should have just enough energy to avoid anyone recognizing me.”

Daniel opened his mouth to protest and Vlad sighed. “ Fine. Are you good with donuts?”

Daniel grinned. “ Yes…I am good with donuts. You know a place?”

A loud, amused chuckle crept from the adult. “ Of course I do. I can’t cook, remember? My best bet is to scope out all the restaurants in an area.”

Daniel snickered, “ You’re what? Forty-seven? Don’t you think cooking would be something you’d prioritize? It’s kind of basic Fruit-Loop.”

Vlad snorted, “ So says the Pop-tart murder. Tell me, Daniel? How did you so poetically catch the toaster and the box on fire?”

Daniel stiffened and turned beet red. “ How did you-?”

Vlad rolled his eyes. “ Jazmine told me a while back.”

Daniel grumbled angrily for a few minutes while they walked. Vlad paused abruptly and Daniel ran into his back.

“ What gives Fr-?!”

Vlad immediately dropped his umbrella and clasped a hand to Daniel’s mouth. In a low whisper, Vlad worriedly instructed. “ Daniel? Be quiet. We’re not alone.”

Daniel stiffened. A few seconds later his ghost sense went off from behind Vlad’s fingers and Vlad hissed in discomfort from the scalding cold. Keeping his grip, he kicked up the umbrella and flung it to their left. The parasol was ripped to shreds in midair. Fine wisps of ebony fabric and metal scraps clacked to the ground.

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From the EIDOLON COMPLEX

Sam tiredly pulled out one of the pills. “ Danny? These are some sort of roofie. My doctor thinks these pills are a type of heavy-hitting tranquilizer. A highly potent, concentrated medicinal cocktail, meant to immobilize and sedate. We are talking some seriously bad juju. She didn’t lie, they’re sleep pills. But they’re also something else. There are weird specks of dried flowers and red crystals that kind of look like sugar suspended in the regular white gunk. Dr.Walters said he couldn’t help more than that because he isn’t a botanist .”

Daniel felt something lurch in his stomach. “Sam? Can I see that?” He paused abruptly as she went to hand it to him only to quickly retract his arm. Looking into her eyes, he stiffened. “Sam? Um… could you break that pill casing open? In your hand? I want to test something… I think I know what the flowers may be.”

Sam nodded and broke open the capsule. Daniel’s gloved hand went to touch the powder only for unbelievable pain to creep up his throat and through his limbs.

Collapsing and panting, he wheezed, “ Blood…. Blossom…damn….”

Sam immediately ran down the hallway and into one of the guest bedrooms to dispose of the contents of the pill in one of the bathroom lavatories.

Running back to Daniel, she gently lifted up his head. He winced. “ Jesus Sam… she’s been poisoning both sides…. That amount of blood blossom…? Ingested? I can’t even fathom how he’s still alive right now!”

Sam winced. “ Danny? She’s dangerous. I’d keep him as far away from her as possible if I were you. That was just one pill. She wanted me to give him more than one…”

Daniel felt his stomach lurch. There was a wince and he shakily got back to his feet with Sam’s help. A startled yelp shot up from Vlad’s bedroom and Daniel immediately phased through the wall. Vlad was now floating slightly over the bed and staring wide-eyed at his hands. Silver hair was sticking up as if he had just rubbed against a trampoline, and he was shaking slightly. Daniel went to step forward only for Vlad to turn abruptly.

Flinging his arms out dizzily, Vlad warned. “ Daniel?… Ugh-” Vlad swayed and Daniel again went to step forward. Vlad floated back slightly to avoid contact and an arch of static electricity shot up from the bed and tacked onto his own arm, causing him to wince.

Daniel’s eyes widened and Vlad continued, “… Stay back… something’s off with my powers again…”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “ Vlad? Can’t I leave you alone for five minutes without you getting into some sort of mess?”

Somewhat more awake, the adult smiled tiredly. “ I need someone to keep me in line, don’t I? Villain remember?”

Daniel laughed and gently kicked off from the ground to help Vlad. Vlad’s eyes widened apprehensively, “ Daniel? What are you-?” Seeing Daniel’s hair spiking up and floating from the static, Vlad burst out laughing.

Daniel grinned. “ You should see your hair. You look like you stuck your fingers in a power outlet.”

Realizing Daniel was right, Vlad tentatively poked a strand only to yelp again because of the sudden zap.

Daniel burst into hysterics. “ Uh… Fruit-Loop? Maybe it would be in your best interests to ground yourself? Like stepping on the floor so the charge can dissipate?”

Vlad’s eyes widened and he raised an eyebrow. “ That’s a swell observation, Daniel but I think this is a little more electrical build up than the floor can handle.”

Daniel grinned wickedly. “ Oh really?”

Vlad felt something twist in his gut. “ Urm…. Little Badger? What are you-?”

Before Vlad could finish the statement a small zap from Daniel’s hand reverberated through his shoulder blade, causing him to grimace. “ Daniel… that’s not nice, boy!”

Daniel smiled widely, “ What are you going to do about it Plasmius?”

Vlad grinned and casually poked Daniel.

“ Yeoachhhh!” Daniel immediately began rubbing his chest. “ Gosh, that smarts!”

A small giggle leaked from the doorway and both men turned to see Sam trying to restrain herself behind black and purple nails. “ Pfff. You two are hilarious.”

Daniel smirked and seeing Vlad distracted, he quickly flew up closer to him and shifted back into Fenton. Vlad’s eyes narrowed. “ Don’t you dare.”

Daniel grinned. “ I’m just giving Unkie Vladdie a hug….”

And with that Daniel’s duplicate dispersed and the Daniel behind Vlad latched his arms around the adult before tackling them both to the floor. Sharp prickles of static and zaps of electricity zipped across the floorboards as they collided. Vlad blacked out slightly and awoke to Daniel and Sam worriedly looming over him.

Groaning, Vlad tiredly rubbed his head. There was a sleepy growl as he looked to Daniel flatly, “ Brat? Let’s just…stick with Fruit-Loop?”

Sam turned to Daniel and elbowed him. “ I think he hit his head when you tackled him.”

Daniel smirked. “ Well considering I grounded Vlad Plasmius, it’s not too surprising he bonked his head.”

Vlad snorted. “ That was a terrible pun.”

Sam and Daniel both raised an eyebrow. Sam grinned, “ I stand corrected. He’s fairly alert considering everything.”

Vlad groaned again and tried to sit up only to start falling backward. Daniel latched onto his shoulder to keep him upright. “ I’m right here. Can we stop addressing me in the third person, Ms. Manson?”

Daniel rolled his eyes. “ Sorry, old habits die hard considering you’ve been unconscious most of the evening.”

Vlad nodded slightly. “ Yeah… sorry about that… I don’t know what happened…Frankly, I don’t remember getting out of bed.” Gripping a hand to his brow Vlad sighed tiredly, oblivious to the two teenager’s knowing glances at one another.

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From the EIDOLON COMPLEX

Red eyes abruptly darted open and Vlad blindly flailed against his covers. Hyperventilating he clumsily backed away from Sam and onto the edge of the bed. In a muted pop of pink, he teleported out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Every light in the house flickered on and off rapidly. Several bulbs burst and water could be heard coming from faucets in the open bathroom. The shattering of a mirror jolted them to action. Darting into the room both Tucker and Sam eyed the dimly glowing red eyes peeking out from behind Vlad’s shaking arms in the shower.

Daniel could be heard cursing from the bedroom and quickly arrived in Phantom form. Stepping down and feeling the glass underfoot his eyes widened. “VLAD?!?”

Vlad numbly swallowed. “ It….it burns….someone….make it stop…..I’m sorry….make it stop…”

Sam and Tucker gently tried coaxing Vlad out of the dark corner so they could inspect him. Daniel leaned down worriedly, “ Fruit-Loop? Come on…answer me…?”
Vlad shuttered. “ B-Badger…..the fever…..it’s getting….worse…-won’t stop….Someone….make it….make it stop…”

Sam went to touch Vlad’s sleeve through the water and her eyes widened in horror before she quickly retracted her fingers. Tucker noted the expression and quickly tried the same thing only to quickly retract his hand in disbelief. Turning to Daniel he yelled, “ Pham?!? Cool the room! That waters evaporating off of him!”

Daniel’s green eyes flashed blue and he quickly began deep freezing the bathroom. Vlad continued shaking and soon more glass could be heard breaking around the teenagers. Vlad covered his ears and screamed in agony. Green tinted red slowly curled from his nose as he backed up in a panic against the tile.

Hyperventilating he begged, “Someone….please……it hurts…..I’m sorry…”

Sam went to rush forward only for Daniel to hold her back. “ Go get the taser!”

Nodding she quickly ran out of the room while Daniel stumbled through the pitch black and toward Vlad. Vlad began coughing violently. Daniel ran toward Vlad at the sound and hissed from the unnatural heat radiating off of the adult. “Vlad! Come on! I’ve got you!!! Please…”

Vlad numbly registered the voice but his eyes were turning a dull rust, completely devoid of his spectral energy. Daniel’s arms cooled and wrapped around him in an effort to calm him. Vlad gurgled weakly as he was held and continued softly spasming. Feeling Vlad’s breathing hitch the teen yelled, “ SAM! HURRY!”

The thud of boots against tile quickly closed the distance. Grabbing the taser from Sam, Daniel flicked the switch and connected it to the small of Vlad’s back. Vlad numbly registered the pain from the shock but unable to scream simply went limp in Daniel’s grip. As if on cue the lights in the house flashed on.
Vlad’s breathing was labored and sporadic against Daniel and his eyes weakly watered as he was held.

Sam and Tucker gaped at the room in horror. In the shower there were splatters of blood and neon green ectoplasm riveted across the walls in frantic grasping motions. Besides those, large claw-like gashes were stamped into the ceramic. Noting Vlad’s bloodied hands, Sam ran for the first aid kit. Daniel grimaced and gently hugged Vlad against him in an effort to cool him down. Vlad numbly registered the running water above them and a few tears began dripping down his features. Daniel noticed and comforted, “ You’re alright Vlad… Whatever those monsters gave you is going to filter out. I promise. Breathe.”

Vlad choked a faint breath before his eyes rolled back and his neck fell over Daniel’s arm. Daniel looked to the shower knob above them and cut it off with his powers. Picking up Vlad and gently laying him down in a spot free of glass or blood, he began trying to tend to his wounds with Sam and Tucker’s help. Vlad numbly writhed as the bandages on his neck came loose and Sam growled in anger. Blackish tendrils where lacing through the flesh and bruising the surrounding tissue.

Daniel duplicated and positioned his doppelgängers around Vlad. “ I’m going to burn the wound…”

Tucker grimaced. “ Are we sure that’s a good idea?”

Sam looked to Vlad sorrowfully. “ I agree with Danny. The heat will probably purify whatever’s in his system. He’s obviously trying to fight a paranormal poison with fever but he can’t regulate. If Danny torches the one spot Vlad should be able to recover faster.”

Tucker winced and took hold of Vlad’s right shoulder blade. “ Okay…Let’s get this over with.”

Sam nodded. Daniel took a deep breath and turned Vlad’s neck to expose the bite mark. Charging his right hand, the teen squeezed the flesh together. Vlad bucked and tossed slightly. Dull blue eyes shot open once the energy surge connected and the adult choked against the pain. Limbs became rigid and then protested against the contact. Tears slowly leaked and trailed down his pale features as he numbly shook and shivered against the heat burning his flesh. After a few seconds, he began begging in his sleep. “M’sorry…please stop…..please….”

Sam comforted, “ He’s almost done. Hold on…I promise….Jesus Christ, Vlad we’re sorry….”

Vlad continued writhing and his chest arched. White light tried condensing around his right wrist and he tried pulling his head away from Daniel. “ M’ sorry….please….please…stop…it -it burns….please…”

“ I know Vlad… God… I’m almost done. I swear! Hang in there!” Bloodied hands clawed into the tile, scratching and sparking. Vlad was sweating profusely and his features had started elapsing between pained states of alertness and hyperized semi-consciousness by the time Daniel completed the burn. Daniel’s duplicates faded with a muffled hiss of air. Gasping and choking, Vlad numbly felt a cool hand grasping onto the wound.

Bright red sclera eyes, so commonly seen in Plasmius, flashed spastically from dull blue, to red and then to orange irises despite the ghost taser’s usage.
Quickly washing and wrapping the wounds, Daniel cradled him against himself to further cool his skin. “Shhh….Breathe Vlad….”

Vlad numbly reached for Daniel’s sleeve and leaned further in against the teen’s cryo-core as he held him. Eyes continued flashing spastically between forms and tearing numbly. Still shaking, he began starting to come to. “ D-Daniel……..What…..happened…..?”

Daniel began rubbing circles against his back in an effort to calm him further, “Whatever bit you poisoned you Vlad…. It’s alright though… You just need to relax.”

Vlad continued shaking. “ B-Badger…?……It still….hurts…Why….-”

Vlad coughed weakly and his eyes sparked white. Sam and Tucker bent down next to him and held onto his hand. Vlad registered the touch and his fingers twitched slightly in their hold. “F-Foley….M-Manson?….That’s you two…r-right?”

Vlad swallowed and continued shaking. Sam and Tucker worriedly noted the eye changes and quickly pulled him from Daniel. “ Vlad! Hey… Dude? Can you see anything?”

Vlad fearfully gripped the hand beside him. “ E-everything…..is blurring…It hurts….t-thermal…..night vision…..n-normal…it won’t s-stop..”

Daniel’s eyes widened at the now more predominant eye changes and he gently cupped a hand to Vlad’s jaw. “Vlad? Hey…It’s alright. We’re going to fix you.”

Vlad continued shaking and dizzily reached for the blurry white and black limb comforting him. “…..B-Badger..?…..I-I…am….kinda…..scared….I-…I can hear….everything….r-right now….without…p-powers….”

Daniel’s face went ashen. “ Vlad? It’s going to be alright. Breathe…just breathe.”

Tears started dripping down his cheeks. “……D-Danny…..c-claws….ripped through hands….didn’t shift….like with ghost form….t-tore open….human…side…..s-shifts….aren’t s-splitting…”

Vlad’s eyes began to dull further. Sam saw the lack of color and paled. Reaching over and patting his cheek she ordered, “ Don’t you dare! Stay awake!”

Vlad’s eyes weakly gained back some color again and he tried smiling. “….I-I…am not….the best..c-company….Ms.M-Manson….”

Sam gently rubbed his hair. Tucker grabbed his now free hand. “Come on….you’re going to be fine Vlad. Don’t pull something lousy like going full ghost on us when we’re just now growing attached to the sarcasm.”

Vlad choked out a weak laugh and reached for one of the hands keeping his face up so he could breathe easier. “…..D-Did….you know….halfa’s…can’t g-go….full g-ghost….?”

Daniel’s eyebrow furrowed. “Vlad….What are you talking about…?”

Vlad numbly swallowed and his hand began going slack. “ When…y-you’re both….you can’t s-switch….back to one…We…c-can't…”

Vlad flinched and shivered as Tucker reached over to get some of the hair out of his face. “ Don’t talk like this Vlad. You’re fine… just confused.”

Vlad swallowed, “ F-Foley….?….S-something's….wrong….V-very….wrong…”

Vlad’s eyes numbly locked on Daniel as he was lifted up and hugged against him again. “ Shhhh…Vlad…It’s going to be okay….”

Vlad continued shaking. “ B-Badger…..I-I think….’m d-dying….”

Daniel withdrew Vlad and sharply inhaled at the sight of green ectoplasm dripping from his jaw and nose. Vlad’s normally storm blue eyes looked whitewashed and sickly and his skin was becoming a deathly paler.

Daniel immediately laid him down and began cooling him. “ You’re going to be okay….I promise…We won’t leave you! Just stay awake!”

Vlad numbly choked and tears began dripping down his features again. He tried to smile, “J-Jack…said…t-the….same….t-thing…..B-Badger…”

Sam lifted his head up. “ Vlad…Keep talking while we cool you down! Please?”

Vlad winced as he was lifted up. “I-I’ll….t-try….S-Sam…”

Daniel quickly carried him out of the shower and to the tub. The teen’s white boots cracked against the broken mirror on the floor. Vlad weakly gripped his sleeve as he was carried. Several sickeningly wet coughs came from Vlad’s throat and crimson dripped lazily down his jaw. Daniel froze at the red splatters and quickly set Vlad down in the tub. Dull caspian eyes stared blankly into ice blue as the water was turned on.

Sam gently reached under his head to support him better while they filled the tub, “Come on Vlad…. You promised to talk.” Sam pleaded.
Vlad rasped, “ S-Sorry….What do….y-you..want t-to…talk h’bout…..?” His voice trembled slightly as his eyes stared into the ceiling.

Sam felt his pulse. “ Danny! His heart is slowing down!”

“ Keep talking to him Sam! Tuck? Quick! Go get ice!!! Every tray in the fridge!”

Sam began patting Vlad’s cheek, “ Vlad? You’re still here right?”

Vlad choked, “ Y-Yes…”

Daniel’s hands reached down and phased his pants off. Vlad grimaced and shuttered against the teen’s icy touch.

Daniel began cooling the room more rapidly. “ Vlad? What’s your favorite color?”

“…G-green….”

Daniel smiled encouragingly. “Good… What’s your middle name Fruit-Loop?”

Vlad started darting out and Sam patted him. “ Come on Vlad. Please.”

Vlad numbly turned in the water and winced. “ ..D-Damian…”

Tucker could be heard stepping over the broken glass with several trays. Vlad swallowed numbly and shook as the ice was poured in. Sam continued, “Your ghost name?”

Vlad coughed and his eyes began rolling back. Daniel shook him slightly. “Vlad! Wake up!”

Crying, Vlad answered, “..Plas…mius-s”

Tucker gently held his hand. “Vlad….hang on man…. Jesus… Just pull through this.”

Seeing Vlad slipping under again, Sam shook him. “ Vlad? What was your little girl’s name?”

Vlad began crying slightly harder and he choked, “ A-Annabe-ll.”

Sam patted his head gently as he shook. “ How old was she?”

Vlad started becoming distant and Daniel cursed at the sweat still gathering on Vlad’s still paling skin. Putting a cold hand to Vlad’s brow he gently jostled him with the other limb. “Come on Fruit-Loop. How old was she?”

Vlad numbly swallowed, “ E-Eleven…”

Tucker quickly questioned, “ Who was your mother?”

Vlad trembled against them and began slipping, “ I-I d-don’t…k-know…S-Sheryl..?”

Sam gently patted his cheek. “Stay awake….Vlad? It’s alright. Slow breaths. Easy.”

Vlad choked slightly and his hand numbly twitched in Tucker’s hold. Daniel leaned over and began patting his face. “Vlad?” Vlad remained unresponsive so the teen lightly shook him, “Vlad? Can you hear us?!?!”

Vlad’s brow weakly furrowed. “ B-Bad-ger?….I-I…….want-t….to go-o…….to s-sleep…….”

Daniel growled and shook him again, “ You listen here you selfish asshole! Stay awake! I’ll be damned if I finally consider being your friend only for you to fucking die on me!”

Vlad numbly began crying again. “B-Badg….?….It’s b-burning…..”

Daniel felt his head and turned to Tucker, “ Tuck! Thermometer, quick!”

Vlad weakly tried lifting his arm only for Daniel to catch his palm. “ Come on Vlad… You always fuck up and come back swinging! Don’t you dare prove me wrong now!”

Vlad weakly gripped the limb. “ B-Badger….I-” Vlad’s chest slowed and his hand went limp in Daniel’s hold. Blue eyes numbly closed and Sam’s fingers shakely reached for his neck. Feeling no pulse, she began shaking Vlad desperately. “DANNY! HE’S NOT BREATHING!”

Grabbing Vlad into his arms, Daniel quickly left Sam and Tucker upstairs while he rushed Vlad to the infirmary.

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From THE EIDOLON COMPLEX