Okay I'm alive from the dead again with another chapter. School has officially started and first period (after I finish my work of course) is writing time while everyone else plays halo because yep.

Hopefully this chapter isn't too scattered, I tried to make it long and interesting.

Anywho, recap:

We met Dr. Jerry Garrabrant who found some weird reading on his devices and called in DUN DUN DUNNNN Agent Zero. The rest of the presentations happened after the -ahem- phantom presentation where Paulina showed the class a disturbing video with phantom in it. Danny and Tucker had a heart to heart and Danny being the little shit he is told only half the truth and Danny dodged the GiW, because they decided to move.

Days have passed in this eternal Hell, though I have no real way of knowing. When one leaves another comes to take their place, grasping their scalpel with such an eager vigor. My mouth has long since been gagged and my nose burns with the overpowering scent of bleach and antiseptic. My green and red blood coats the table, they don't stop, they just pump me with blood of their other captors. It's energizing enough to keep me wide awake but I can't escape. This watered down energy is nowhere near as pure as it could be; but then again, giving me pure energy would be their downfall wouldn't it?

I look with hazy eyes up at my unbearably bright surroundings, the florescent light above me too bright, too much; it's all too much. I hear the door open in the distant, a blue body sticking out among the white. It's all too familiar.

It wasn't too long ago was it? I was okay back then… This damn place. Got to break free, must be free. I make a fist and hold tight. Freedom. Must break free. Fool, Fool, FOOL! I remember how it happened, I should have seen it coming..

"Man that movie was terrible!" Tucker bursts out laughing after we get out of the theater.

Sam flicks him in the arm, "It wasn't that bad."

I look at her and point out, "It was soooo cheesy! I mean, you could smell that love story from a mile away."

Sam raises her eyebrow at me, "it was better than your love life." behind us Tuck is waving his arms and yelling OOOOOOOOO SAVAGE! And I'm, well, bright red… I shove my hands in my pockets and pout, I feel Sam's hand on my shoulder as I continue to pout. "Come on, Danny, that was a good one."

Glancing up I let a wide cheshire cat smile bloom, "Yeah, it was. Just like the new episode of Vo-" She slaps her hand over my mouth.

"Don't you dare spoil the new episode, you know how hard I've been trying to stay spoiler free." She gives me a stern look. And my completely mature self in return licks her hand and bolts down the street. "Is that how you wanna play, Fenton? FINE!"

Oh crap she's running after me, shitshitshit. I pick up the pace a little with a smile on my face, "Catch me if you can, Sam!" I try and out maneuver her without using ghost powers but she runs track, she very quickly catches up to me and pins me.

"Alright, Fenton, you've lost." She's panting ever so slightly.

I raise my hands in surrender, "At least I gave you a run for your money." I snicker at my own bad joke and she groans.

"That was bad."

"That was great what are you talking about?"

She ponders for a second then just lays on me sideways, making a human 'X' on the sidewalk as people walk by questioning us. She groans again, "That pun is the death of me. This is it, this is how I die." She rolls over and put one arm on her forehead and the other over my face and does a dignified 'Bleh' and lets her tongue roll out of her mouth.

Tucker is just now making back to us with his eyes still trained on his PDA. He glances up, "Tell a bad pun?"

"Hey! My puns are fantastic!" My voice is slightly muffled my Sam's arm. Tucker chuckles, and snaps a picture of us.

"I'm keeping this one."

"Fiiiiiine. Can you get Sam off me then? It looks bad having a supposedly dead teen on me." He puts his PDA away and pokes Sam's open midriff and she yelps.

She gets off of me begrudgingly, and Tucker looks satisfied. We both get up and continue walking down the sidewalk until we get to Sam's house. I had to leave the theater for about 20 minutes to take care of a minor ghost threat nearby but I apparently didn't miss very much.

As we arrive at Sam's house I spot the Fenton Assault Vehicle in the street and give Sam a confused look, she shrugs back and says, "Don't look at me, you know how my parents feel about yours." Tucker's eyebrows go up and points at the front door where my parents are walking out.

I look at Sam and Tucker, they're shivering slightly in the late February weather. "Hey you guys can head inside, I'll see what's going on." They give a grateful nod and run inside, I guess it was colder than I thought. I walk up to my parents, "Hey what are you guys doing here?"

I guess they didn't see me walking up because they jump a little at my sudden appearance. It's a good moment before either of them respond. Mom speaks first, "Oh, hi, Honey! We were just, um" She looks to Dad and he jumps in helpfully, "We were talking about ghosts with the Mansons!"

Kind of confused I ask, "Don't they hate ghosts? And anything about ghosts, like talking about them?"

Mom hops in, "Well, they were hoping to upgrade their ghost security, with all those Guy's in White officers everywhere they are getting nervous." Dad cuts her off, "Oh yeah! They want our best shield," He puffs out his chest in boastful pride.

"I'm surprised they didn't order one sooner," Then again, the Mansons were trying to get a shield from a different seller, it wasn't very good. Like a watered down soda, it's just bad. I shrug and let the topic drop, "Well I'll see you guys at home. We're gonna hang here for a bit, and then I'll come home right after."

Mom nods, "Alright, sweetie, just remember to be home before curfew and watch for ghosts on your way home."

I wave her off, "Okay, Mom. I'll see you later!" I run inside after Sam and Tuck and head up to Sam's room. I softly close the door behind me and turn to my friends chilling under Sam's covers trying to warm up. "Is it really that cold outside?"

Tucker checks his PDA and Sam alike checks her phone. Tucker reports, " It is currently fifteen degrees fahrenheit aka negative nine degrees celsius."

Sam puts her phone down and states, "So, yes, it's cold."

I look at the comfy blankets, "Does that mean I'm not allowed to join you?"

Sam raises an eyebrow, "Are you gonna be an ice cube?"

"I have no control over that, I'm kinda dead." I shrug helplessly.

Tucker leans forward and touches my skin, "Whoa, you aren't a popsicle!" Sam leans forward and they are both just..rubbing my arm. How am I the weird kid? Oh right, crazy parents and their halfa hybrid child, yes, that. Ahem, anyways,"Dude you're actually like, almost normal heat; a little cold but nothing gasp worthy."

I look at my hands,"Well that's weird." I look up, "I mean that's good, I'm not hypothermic but that's...Weird." I think back to the fire bullet, that might be something to look into, I don't want to turn into a walking fireplace either. Biting the inside of my cheek for a second I internalize this information and look back at my friends that seem pleased with this revelation. "I guess I have better control over the ice powers."

Sam chirps in," Well you have been practicing with them a lot this winter so it makes sense. Maybe your ghost core can't freeze your human half that this when it's trying to replenish the ice energy?"

I nod a bit and Tucker taps the theory into his PDA, I can see where note taking in school actually helped him. I smile at the thought but turn back to my main point, "So can I get in the blankets?"

Sam looks to Tucker for a moment before looking back and me and shrugging, "Yeah sure, Danny." I hop under the blankets and get comfy in the bundle of warmth.

Once we are all settled into the new positions to accommodate me joining in the big mess of blankets and pillows, Tucker turns to me expectantly. "So why were your parents over here, I doubt Sam's parents invited them over for a tea party." He deadpanned. Sam nods in agreement, we all know how the Mansons feel about my family, except for Grandma Ida and Sam of course.

I explain the shield business deal and wrap up with, "Yeah but they were really hesitant about it, like they weren't sure themselves."

They contemplate the new information for a moment before Sam says, "I haven't heard anything about a new shield. I mean the one we have now compared to your parents' shield is a complete joke but I would think I would have heard them at least talk about it." she states slightly confused.

Tucker looks deep in thought and after a second speaks. "My parents having been acting weird, at least as far as I've noticed." Sam and I nod.

"Alright, and you and your folks are closer to you than ours are to us."

Sam butts in, "close in the good way, not suffocating"

"Yes, not suffocating. So that's a good sign right? I mean, it really could be just a shield. We don't have any evidence to prove otherwise." We all space off for a minute sorting through this.

Tucker slaps his hands down on his part of the blanket fort, "Welp. I'm done with thinking, it's the weekend, which means patrol and chill."

"Tuck, that sounds way too close to Netflix and Chill, and no offense but you're not my type." I tease.

He crawls out of the fort, "Well if you wanted some time to yourselves don't let me stop you." He wiggles his eyebrow and I'm back to being a tomato. Sam shoots a look at me, furrows her brows and then proceeds to mock gag.

"Wow I am so feeling the love there, Sam." I raise a hand to my chest in mock hurt.

"Yeah, yeah, Space-case." She crawls out of the fort as well and smooths out her clothes. "While I set up the system, you and Tuck go pick out some games, I'll only take a minute."

Reluctantly I leave the fort and watch as it deflates sadly into just a heap of blankets that the staff will without a doubt fix before Sam goes to bed. Tucker and I go to another part of Sam's bedroom that's separated by an open door frame. On the other side is a very open office/studio looking space that has shelves of CDs, books, and games, along with various art supplies.

Tucker starts skimming the games, probably already having a game in mind. My eyes continue to wander the open area. It's only been about a year since Sam first brought us over to her house and there is still a lot that catches my eye, like the little fey sculptures that sit up on a shelf over a desk. Iridescent shimmery wings drooping behind a pixies back.

Sam has always loved fantasy. I can't blame her, if I'm not reading a sci-fi book, fantasy is a great second choice. On the desk itself there are four little dragons with skull bottoms placed in a square so that it looks like they are having a little screech off, courtesy of Tucker. On the bottom of each dragon is a little jar-like base with the top of the jar being the top of the skull line. I carefully lift one of the dragon tops and look inside the compartment, all that's inside is a necklace with a lavender gemstone pendant.

Not really sure what I was expecting.

Anywho, I turn back to Tuck who is still raking his fingers over the game titles with one in his hands. I peek back into the other half of the large room and see Sam is just about ready to go. I decide to go grab a drink from downstairs instead of snooping more, privacy and all that jazz. I ask if they want anything and after a quick take of requests I step through the Manson house and grab some sodas.

On the way back up to Sam's room I pass her father's office and hear some low voices from inside. I stay very still and listen closely,"... I don't think we should stay here, not while it happens at least." A voice states.

"Well we can't just have her miss school like that." A deeper voice, likely , exclaims.

"It would be a few days at best, and besides I've been dying to get away for a little. Sammykins is smart, she can catch up when we get back." Mrs. Manson?

"What of my mother?"

"Honey, Ida may be old but she isn't frail."

"Alright, alright...I'll start making arrangements. "

"Thank you, dear."

The voices stop and I bolt away from the door and around the corner before comes stepping out of the office, and walks off.

What in the world is going on here? I head back into Sam's room, drinks in hand and sit in my designated hair and open the pop and distribute the other cans. I look over at Sam. And think over the conversation before piping up, "I think your family's' going on vacation."

She sips her pop and glances at me, "Were you eavesdropping on my parents again?"

"You make it sound like I do that often."

Tuck puts his phone down, "Often enough."

Ok wow, thanks for throwing me under the bus like that. Sam cuts off my retort, "It's not like that's weird, we go on vacation all the time."

"Huh." I do a little half shrug and pick up my controller. I'm just over thinking things. Sam's right, they go on vacation all the time, nothing out of the norm. And nothing to stress over.

...Right?

The days up to Sam's random vacation were plain, save for my parents actually being welcomed in the Manson Mansion. But it was just as my family said, they just wanted a new shield, one that actually works.

We say our farewells to Sam and she promises to send pics of the stars from the cruise ship and check out the music stores at the different stops for some strange sounding bands.

It's early march and has certainly been warming up, but for simplicities sake the Mansons are going to the other hemisphere where is actually warm.

Classes seem to be dragging on more and more this week, and not just because it's second semester and I'm bored as heck without Sam, I still have Tucker here after all.

No, it just seems like we are covering less like the teachers are stalling, which has been great for me getting homework done because I can normally finish it in class! Stilling dragging though.

Even Lancer wasn't going through much, and he is usually the one to jam the most into a lesson, it was just notes yesterday, discussion prep today, and the discussion tomorrow. Most people had already worked on the prep before hand when he gave it to us on Monday and finished it halfway through the class and spend the other half talking or on their phones, and he didn't say anything!

In gym class it was just a free day, which was a lot more boring now that we are out of the swim unit. Tuck and I just walked the track and talked though most people were playing volleyball which resulted in me almost getting hit with a stray ball.

During my 7th period, I feel the rising cold of my ghost sense brush my lips. I take the class hall pass and just walk out the room, my teachers learned that a class pass would save them the headache of me not listening when I went out without permission anyway.

I switch forms in an empty bathroom stall and leave the pass there so it doesn't get destroyed during the fight, it has happened before and Ms. K was not happy.

Flying invisibly through the walls of the hallways I check inside the school first making sure it isn't harming any students and catch a small glimpse at a something wispy and green. I quickly fly after it and end up on the outside of the school up on the roof.

The blobby ghost moans and continues to fly off over the parking lot and over the football field. I follow it slowly, dragging behind a little bit. So far the ghost hasn't done anything aggressive. Maybe it just got lost and wandered through the portal.

Hesitatingly I follow the small creature deeper onto the field, the overcast of clouds blocking out most sunlight. A light fog lays over the open field, practice on hold until word of whether it would storm or not reached Principle Lancer. Right now it looks like heavy rain, dark storm clouds coating the west and south fronts. I float tensely up to the small thing and try to grab its attention.

When it turns to face me the wide red eyes peer up at my face and I offer a shy, Hey there.. Are you lost?"

The blobs iris shrink into small dots and a wide small creeps onto its face. With a horribly scratchy voice it speaks," You fool."

What.

The little blob, only about two feet tall, shoves its entire body into me and sends me flying back. Stupid, I let my guard down.

I right my flight and curve back to the little blob. When I get about five feet away to it, my hands light with energy.

We have a little stand off until the lights in the field turn on and it looks like there are shadows traveling on the ground. The creature cheers in delight, "Fool! Fool! Fool!" My heart rate quickens and without any control over myself my body starts to burn. The claws come out and he fight instinct is on. Dagger shaped pupils dart around the field trying to collect data. My energy turns into a more passionate swirling flame. The mark is white hot on my body and I'm almost gasping for air. My energy travels from my hands up my arms, barely containing itself on my upper arm, I'm trying to will it away but my powers are no longer mine to control.

My hair sways with the force of my energy and I scan the ground below for something, anything. Things are moving, ok, it's a start. One however isn't. A gleam shines off it, a shine of blue cast from below him. I lock eyes with this being as the ever so present chant of "Fool! Fool!' rings in my ear.

Our goal is simple, Catch the ghost known as Phantom.

But the plan is much more complicated. We have tried in the past to do this but every time he escapes my grasp. I stare down at the piles of information on this ghost we know so little about, numerous reports on sightings and damages caused by its constant fighting. Its behaviour doesn't match that of a normal ghost, the energy output is strangely high for such a small and young looking thing, it appears to disappear and appear in this realm at will -as we can't find a steady portal other than the Fenton's damnable portal- so it may even have the ability for opening riffs like subject 314.

And as for the matter of these energy spikes. The science team, engineers, and myself did look into the scanners and they are all in proper working order. So, we decided to watch and wait, and wait, and wait. Weeks of nothing but observation, the order was given to not shoot no matter the situation, retreat when necessary but I want eyes on it; but do not engage Phantom.

And the data we have collected ha proven very useful.

I pick up a folder with a slight smirk on my face. The data in here suggests that Phantoms energy spikes are during an encounter with a formidable foe, one that would give a human an adrenaline rush. But ghosts don't have adrenaline, so there must be something else in there makeup to synthesize that reaction.

We haven't had a chance to dissect anything as complicated as Phantom, most of our captured specimens are level 2 or lower and aren't capable of holding a cohesive thought; animal ghosts or just semi aware blobs. Nothing the ecto-biologists can really drive their scalpels into.

has proven to be very helpful, however. The reports are very organized and are expertly detailed and easy to follow. Not even a single coffee stain on them. Flipping through the reports I find the section I'm looking for, 'Phantom's Energy Graph' and the 'Energy Observations.' The graph is fairy simple, data points at many different intervals with a line of best fit and a prediction for the readings of the next few days, a more updated version coming in every three days with more information predicting the line.

The second one, 'Energy Observations,' is a more interesting to me than a bunch of numbers. The physical changes are bizarre to say the least. We have had specimen that could shift forms but not like this, this is a mutation of sorts. Then again, we won't truly know until we capture it. But these signs are definitely a warning that playtime is over with Phantom.

Unfortunately, we don't have the home field advantage, either. As much as we hate to admit it, but this is Phantom's territory. The towns people even call him a hero, well most anyway. The few that still see him as a piece of ecto-scum are who are going to ven the playing field.

The Fenton's are the 'professionals,' hardly; but they have lived here for years. Other than the couple, there is the Red Huntress, however that is a vigilante hunter and unpredictable at best. We would need to tame her before she could be a part of this plan.

The plan can be put out soon, we have already talked to the Fentons and we are awaiting their response to our offer; help us capture the ghost boy and they can have partial credit for his fall and they may be apart of the study. They seemed eager enough at the proposal.

If all goes well then this will be our first step to destroying the ghosts; but there is one thing I can't destroy, not without killing everything else at least. I can't kill their world, without it, balance would be thrown out the window and both worlds will die.

Such a pain. I'd rather burn it to the ground and be done with it.

I stand up from my desk and get ready to head out. I have to go talk with the Fenton's at least once more. I walk out to my car and drive off to the large obnoxious building, the large neon sign dim in the sunlight. As I pull up to the street I get a call, "Hello."

"Sorry to bother you agent but I just received word from the Fenton's," My eyebrow cocks up as I pull over to the side of their driveway. She continues, "They accept your offer.."

Perfect. "Tell them that the Guys in White thanks them and to meet me at my office tomorrow at 8am sharp."

"Yes sir."

I hang up.

That's the end of part one for this chapter. I didn't want too many parts in this so I'm breaking it up into two parts.

hhehehehe poor danny : }

btw how does one get an editor?