Disclaimer: Danny Phantom and all related characters (including their Alternate Universe counterparts) are the product of Butch Hartman and Nickelodeon studios. The Guardians of Space and Kat/Electra are the product Silent Elegy.
"You two, that way!" Sheriff Walker yelled. "The rest of you, get over there and head him off!" He looked in the direction his quarry had taken and growled. "I'll catch you yet, punk."
It was a relatively normal day as far as the Ghost Zone went, with Walker trying to catch Public Ghost Enemy Number One, Danny Phantom. Danny had a very good reason for entering the Ghost Zone on this fine day. An old friend of his, Wulf had sent a message asking for his help.
At least, he thought Wulf was asking for help. The werewolf ghost didn't speak much English, and Danny didn't know any Esperanto. Therefore, it had been up to Tucker to decipher the message, and he didn't speak Esperanto very well. Unfortunately, it was a moot point now. Just as Danny had found Wulf, Walker had attacked, and they had been forced to split ways. All efforts to return to his parents' Ghost Portal had met with armed guards. After nearly being captured twice, Danny decided to head deeper into the Ghost Zone in the hopes of loosing his pursuers. So far, he was having little luck.
The ghost boy glanced behind him to see how close Walker's goons had gotten, then looked forward again just in time to avoid crashing into the eight guards that jumped out in front of him. He ducked below a blast from someone's weapon and veered off to the right. He was in an area he didn't recognize, which didn't bode well. If he was going to lose Walker, he was going to have to start opening doors. Sometimes they were portals to the Real World; he figured he could find his way home from there.
The first two doors he tried led to ghost lairs, and the occupants were none too happy to see him. The third opened onto a swirling red and blue portal of some sort. Since every portal he had ever seen was green, he decided not to risk it. The fourth led to a large room, empty save for the mirrors that lined the walls. He ducked inside and slammed the door, then leaned against it while he caught his breath.
"This one now…" whispered a voice that caused Danny to jump in alarm. "It's interesting…"
The boy dropped slightly into a battle-ready stance and looked around. There was nothing there, unless the voice came from one of the mirrors.
"Step forward, child," whispered a second voice. "Let us see you."
It was almost like being in a well-lit funhouse. As Danny took a few cautious steps into the room, he saw his reflection twisted and distorted in the various mirrors. Some showed him more or less as he was; in others, he looked menacing, insane, or downright evil. One in particular showed an image of his evil older self, whom he had locked away in the Fenton Thermos and given to Clockwork. The place made him decidedly uneasy.
Actually, it was kind of scary.
As he looked at his various reflections, one caught his eye: the only one that didn't show him in some variation on his ghost form. Curious, he walked toward his human image; it tilted its head and shifted from foot to foot. "What is this?" Danny asked.
"We are the Guardians of Space," the image answered in his voice. "We have been watching you, child. Every one of you."
"There's only one of me," he protested.
The Guardian gestured at its brethren. "Look around you. There are infinite versions of you; these we present are only a few of the choices you could have made."
"We have been waiting for you," said one of the others. "We knew you would find your way here, in time."
Danny looked around. They weren't acting hostile toward him, but he felt threatened. "Look, I don't know what you want with me, but you're not getting it." He turned angrily back to the door and stalked through it. He had forgotten what drove him into that room to begin with; fortunately, Walker seemed to have given up the chase for now. He retraced his steps back to the Ghost Portal.
Inside the room, his reflections vanished as an elderly ghost in white robes appeared. He glared into the mirrors for several moments, then turned into a very young child and pretended to fidget with his clock-topped staff. "You know, the boy is my responsibility," he seemed to address no one in particular.
"Only on this plane, Master of Time," whispered a Guardian. "We require his services to deal with a problem."
"A problem that you allowed to occur, if I'm not mistaken."
"We confess that we were at fault, but we must restore the situation to normalcy. You may interfere if you deem it necessary. The boy is, after all, your responsibility."
Clockwork switched his to his old form again, then frowned and became an adult. "Very well, I'll allow you this one. But I will be keeping an eye on the situation."
Danny glanced around, mildly confused. He had met absolutely no opposition on his way home. The few ghosts out and about had pretty much ignored him; it was unusual. He shrugged and floated back through the Ghost Portal…
…and right into the barrel of a Ghost Bazooka.