The Ghost Zone was a violent spiraling green vortex that was home to hundreds of ghost. Each one with it's own territory, from simple doors to wide expanse's of land with a variety of landmarks.

One such landmark was a massive clock tower in one of the deepest corner of the Zone. The faint ticking of it's gears could be heard for miles. Inside of the tower were several clocks and gears each one showing a different time and place. Some even showed different words.

Infront of one such gears were a ghost in a violet cloak with a pale blue face. He had no legs, but a wispy tail. On his face was a scar across his left eye. Imbedded within his chest was a clock. His body was constantly switching from a baby, to an adult, and to an old man. His name was Clockwork, the master of time.

In the gear was a vision of a world. It was a world of destruction and ruin. Where unkillable beast rampaged, and mad men slaughtered town's of innocent people. A world where even it defenders and heroes were sometimes as twisted as the villains they fought. A world where the line between good and evil was as blurred as the person walking it.

"This will do." The ever shifting man decided.

Yes this was a world where even someone as broken as his charge could fit in, could maybe even turn back into who he was before.

With a gentle smile on his face Clockwork delicately placed a fractured green and white thermos in front of the gear and backed away. In his hand he summoned a emerald patched-work orb and waited.

Not for long it seems. Clockwork thought

As soon as the thermos touched the grown it started to shake. Back and forth the thermos rocked, as it did red glowing cracks appeared in its casing. Just as soon as the shaking started it stopped just as quickly. The thermos sat there deathly still for several minutes.

Then it exploded with enough force to make Clockwork back away even a few paces. He had to move his staff a bit to defect burning shrapnel. Green smoke rushed out of the shattered thermos and filled one half of the room and a laughter filled the air. The laughter was as happy as it was enraged. From the smoke a dark shadow formed within it. The shadow took the shape of a massive man with malevolent glowing red eyes.

The smoke cleared aired out enough to show man hidden within it. He was powerfully built, muscles strained beneath the jumpsuit he wore. The only exposed part of him was his head. He was what most people consider to be extremely handsome. The truly odd part of him that could be considered was his blue skin and hair of white flame. Clad in a black and white jumpsuit with a tattered cape, and a stylized D and P on his chest.

He was Dan Phantom, a monster without regrets or remorse. He was single-handedly responsible for reducing the population of the earth to a single walled off city.

Dan shock his head cleared of its cobwebs, as he looked around to see where he was. The sound of constantly ticking clocks told him just where he was.

"Clockwork, even after all these year you still seek to stand in my way it seems." Dan drawled as he smiled revealing his vampire like teeth. "So what exactly is your plan this time?"

Clockwork stared at him evenly before smiling softly. "I'm going to give you one more chance to redeem yourself and turn back to the hero you were always meant to be."

The dark Phantom stared at Clockwork quietly before he broke down laughing as if he had just heard the funniest joke ever told. "How many time must I tell you old man. I am inevitable there is no changing that!" Dan snarled at the Master Of Time.

Clockwork said nothing just waving his arm through the air, as he did a gear dropped to the floor between them. The space in the gear flickered before settling on a scene. "Are you sure? Why don't you see for yourself just how inevitable you really are."

Dan sighed as he turned to look at the gear and what he saw shocked him to his non existing heart.

On the screen was what appeared to be a man with a striking resemblance to Dan. The Man had his arms wrapped around a woman. A woman that Dan would know anywhere. With her dark hair, violet eyes and even darker clothes was Sam Manson. The scene zoomed outward to show the two of them at a wedding ceremony, theirs.

Sam was dressed in a beautiful wedding dress but instead of the traditional white, hers was in all black. It was just like her, on any one else it would seem inappropriate for a bride to wear something like that, but for Sam it was perfect. As Sam and The Man exchange vows and moved forward to kiss the scene changed again.

It was a scene of the aftermath of a great battle. It looked to have of happened in a city. The streets were destroyed large holes leading into the sewers below and building were either collapsed or close to it. The fight seemed to have been over when that Man appeared again, he was the same as Dan. Even the suit he was wearing was similar to Dan, but damaged. The figure also look to be as battered as the city.

Even still he flew into the ruin buildings turning transparent as he did. When he flew back out he was carrying people on his back and in his arms. The scene followed him as he set the people down at a triage set up to deal with the current crisis.

As he set the people down to help others in trouble people walked toward him. They weren't angry or afraid, instead they looked at the Man as if he was the answer to their prayers. As the Man turn around to head back into the disaster zone. The people reached out trying to touch him, or shake his hand, and thanking him for his help as he flew away.

As the hero left the scene change again. This time a house was shown. It was a simple thing, not to extravagant, but not exactly poor looking either. It looked comfortable, it look like a home. That fact was proven as the hero landed in front of it. As he walked towards his home a white ring appeared above his head, as it traveled down his appearance was change. The jumpsuit disappeared to be replaced with a simple pair of pants and shirt. His skin and hair changed to looking something more human.

Now dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans the figure reach forward to open the door. Before he could even touch it the door swung open as two twin missiles launch out of it slamming into him and knocking him down. The missiles in question turn out to be two giggling children, one boy and one girl. All it took was a look at their faces to see just who their parent were, that his and Sam's.

The father wrapped his arms around his kids. He then stood up with them and started to spin them around laughing with them. As they spun another woman walked out of the door. Her hair was longer and her clothes wasn't as dark as they used to be, but it was still Sam. She clapped her hands hard enough for them to hear her at the sound they all stop to turn and look at her.

Once she had there attention she pointed to the door as they all hurried in to follow her command. Letting out a satisfied smirk she followed them in as she did the door closed and the screen turned black.

After it was all over. Dan stared at the gear silently for several minutes. His body slightly shaking with his fist clenched tightly.

When he turned back to look at Clockwork again the look in Dan eyes was one of pure hate. "Why show me that?" he spoke in a whisper. A sharp exhale of breath escaped through clenched teeth Dan forced himself to calm down.

"Because the future has changed." Clockwork said as he set the gear back into its rightful place.

"If that's true, then why am I still HERE!" Dan roared the last part so load that the tower and everything in it shook.

"You should have disappeared as the timeline changed. But because of your actions, you exist outside of time. You're an anomaly that I have to deal with." Clockwork admitted, unfazed by Dan's display of power.

At that Dan smiled showing all his fanged teeth. "So, you think you can kill me, I like to see you try."

"No. I said deal with not kill." Clockwork corrected, smiling at the dumfounded look on Dan's face.

"Then what are you going to do exactly?" Dan was tensed as he readied himself against any plan Clockwork might try.

"I was thinking of inserting you into another timeline. A new world if you will. Give you a second chance like I did the younger version of you. Worked out well for him wouldn't you say." Clockwork spoke and moved without any care to the fact that the most dangerous being in the Ghost Zone was in front of him.

"Then I'll destroy it like the last one then." Dan laughed at the master of time, but he still didn't lower his guard.

"I don't doubt you would given the chance." Clockwork told him. Raising his arm Clockwork showed Dan the patchwork orb. "which is why I'll be giving this back to you."

"What is that?" Dan asked confidently, but as he looked at the object held within Clockwork's grip Dan's confidence washed away. A part of Dan was calling out to the orb. A part of himself that he took great care in ripping away for it to call out to him, that scared him to the point he started to back away from Clockwork.

"It took me a long time to find all the pieces after you so thoroughly ripped it to shreds." Clockwork explained uncaring of Dan's fear. "But I there is one thing that I have a lot of, it's time."

"What is That!" Dan roared as his body shock in a combination of fear and desire.

"You know exactly what this is. The part of yourself that you were so desperate to get away from. The one thing you could not withstand." Clockwork sighed as he let the orb go. But instead of falling it instead floated towards Dan. "Your humanity."

Not willing to let that thing any closer to him Dan raised his hand in it's direction. Glowing emerald with ecto-energy ready to destroy it in an…

"Time Out!" With a single phrase Clockwork enforced his power over the world. In an instant the ticking of the clocks, the worlds within the gears, everything stop. Such was the power of the master of time itself.

The only things that were able to move was what Clockwork allowed. Or it should have been, but even now Clockwork could see the small twitches in Dan's body as he fought against the effects of Clockwork's domain.

Impressive as always Daniel, given enough time you would break free of my Time Out. But that is time you don't have. With a mental sigh Clockwork floated back and watched what he should have done years ago.

The orb slowly approached the bounded Phantom. As it stopped in front of Dan the orb it began to glow bright enough that Dan was forced to close his eyes. When he opened them again he felt whatever confidence he might of had disappear.

In the place of the orb was a boy. A small insignificant stupid boy, a fool threw away everything he had just because he wanted more. Dan didn't want to look at the fool, but another part hated the thing in front of him. It was a hate they both were familiar with.

From the fool's bloody shoes to his tattered mud-soaked jeans. To his white and bloody T-shirt with its frayed bottom that even was being twisted by pale hands, who's fingernails had been down to the point that blood dripped down them.

Dan found himself staring into all so familiar face. There was bags under his eyes from lack of sleep as he glared at Dan with a look that was a combination of hate, disgust, and most importantly of all guilt. A look Dan matched. It was a look Dan recognized all too well. He'd see it whenever he looked in a mirror. Well he did before his trip to Vlad's.

"So," Dan drawled glaring down at his human half. "What do you want?"

The human Danny didn't say anything just glared at his ghost half with disgust. Then he stepped forward as he shoved his hand into Dan's chest. Instead of being pushed away, Dan watched in horror as the hand pushed into his chest. Followed by his forearm, then bicep.

"No!" Dan whispered in honest terror. Once again, he tried to move, to resist anything to stop what he knows realize what was about to happen.

But with another step Dan's human half seemingly fell into Phantom's body. Once more becoming one being with all that entails.

"No!" Dan roared as he fell to his knees, Clockwork releasing his power over him.

Dan's body began shaking in a violent spasm as he let out a broken wail. One filled with both pain and regret. He slammed his teeth together as he foamed at the move. His entire body shaking as if suffering from a seizure. The flames on Dan's head extinguish leaving him bald for a moment as from his head snow-white hair grew in its place. His red eyes faded back to green and his once blue corpse-like skin was back its regular pale white.

As the spasm died down Dan was left clutching his body at an invisible but all to real injury. He glared upward at Clockwork with tears spilling from his green eyes.

"Bas... bastard, hope your happy now." Dan snarled at Clockwork. Dan tried to rise only for his body to spasm again spending him to the ground.

"This has never been about my happiness, but about your salvation." Clockwork looked down at him with eyes filled with regret "You had such a bright future ahead of you, I hope you can find it again."

With a wave of his hand Clockwork sent Dan flying backward into the gear behind him. His body disappearing as it made contact.

"And I hope you find some measure of peace on your new life." Clockwork continued speaking to the empty room.

Clockwork waved a hand as the gear responded to his will, and join the rest of it's brethren in floating in his tower. Each one showing a different world and a different time.

"Now let's see just how this turns out." Clockwork floated above with the gears as he watched this newest parade react to the deviation to its path.

XxX

The sound of a heart monitor as a patient was flatling always sounded like an accusation. The operating room reeked of antiseptics and blood. But it was a usual smell for the surgeon. "Dammit, there's nothing more to do I'm calling it."

Unfortunately losing people on the table was usual to. But it was always a tragedy when they were someone so young.

A typical story for Brockton Bay. A home invasion gone wrong. The owners of the home come back a little quicker than the robbers thought. Shots were fired and then the family ends up on his table.

The surgeon stepped away from the boy to let others sew him back up.

The only good part was that the robbers were caught quickly and the parents would be okay. Though if they wouldn't think that with their son dead.

Time to break the news, then. Something else I'm good at. The surgeon thought depressed.

The lights in the room began to flicker and die as the room started to shake. Tools slid of tables as everyone hunkered down.

"Shit, earthquake?" the surgeon whispered to himself.

"Doctor?" a nurse spoke getting his attention.

Turning to the nurse the surgeon watched as the body of the boy floated in midair. His body faintly glowing the only light in the room. Everyone watched as the light faded and the body fell back on the table.

"What just happened?" someone in the room asked.

The surgeon didn't answer as he walked towards the body. Quickly the surgeon examined the body.

"He's breathing!" The surgeon shouted as everyone in the room rushed into motion. Machines were reattached to the boy as physical condition was checked and double-checked make sure there was no more surprises.

10 minutes later and the surgeon knew without a shadow of a doubt that the boy was fine. All injuries healed; all scars erased like nothing had ever happened. That done he picked up a phone. First, he would contact the boy's parents, then the P.R.T. to let them know that Danny Fenton was a Parahuman.