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Danny floats in the park, just above the treeline. With crossed arms, he watches the other boy, white haired and in a black and white jumpsuit like him, pace across the sky. Danny glances down; to the humans below, it probably looks like Phantom finally mastered duplication but the truth is more unbelievable. The other boy is a clone, accidentally created by Jack Fenton, and he is Danny Fenton’s twin brother.
“I thought Elle would be here by now. You told her where to meet us, right?” The younger halfa glances down at his sibling.
“I did.” Danny nods, remembering talking to her on the phone. She’d use the cheap phone he’d bought her to say she’d be coming a week later than her usual day for a monthly visit.
“Maybe she’s running late. Oh I hope she’s just late.”The boy’s ghostly tail twitches nervously under him. “She’s probably fine, right? Yeah, she’s fine.”
“James.” Danny starts, crossing his arms.
“Do you think she’ll like me?” Danny opens his mouth to reply but James continues. “I hope she likes me. What if she doesn’t though?”
“James.”
“She might not like meeting another clone.” The boy wrinkles his nose. “I don’t even know how I feel about meeting another clone.”
“James.”
“Maybe we should have told her before, on the phone. Given her time to adjust.” James runs a hand through his hair. “Oh no, she’s going to freak out. She’s going to freak out ‘cause of me, before we convince her to meet Mom and Dad.”
“James!” Hovering half a foot higher, Danny addresses the other boy. “You’re just freaking yourself out now.” James stops his pacing. An almost tangible wave of anxiety wafts off of him, causing Danny to shiver. “And...you’re projecting again.”
James’s mouth snaps shut. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
Another clear spike of nervousness with a little guilt touches Danny’s core and the half ghost briefly winces at his brother’s emotions. After a moment, Danny shakes off the emotions. He floats up to be at eye level with the other halfa.
Focusing on calming emotions, Danny gently puts a hand on the other boy’s arm. “It’s okay. I know you’re working on it.”
James visibly calms as his nervous emotion tampers in response to Danny’s calm. “Yeah. Thanks for being patient.”
Danny smiles, comfortingly. “Of course bro.” The hand on James’s arm moves to his back. “Now how about you take a deep breath and we’ll just watch the sunset ‘til Elle shows up.”
James frowns, another small spike of anxiety transmitting from where Danny is touching him. “But..”
Danny takes a breath, focusing on sending feelings of assurance to his brother. “Elle is fine and she’s going to be happy to meet you. Everything's going to go great. I promise.”
Sighing, James nods. “Okay. I believe you.” The calmed emotions the boy sends aligned with the statement. He then takes a deep breath as Danny suggested, earning a smile from the boy. His attempt to calm his brother worked.
“Alright.” Danny removes his hand.
The gentle communication of emotions ceases but not for the first time, Danny is grateful of that new ability. Well, relatively new to him but common to closely related ghosts. It is insanely strong between Danny and James, probably since the two are functionally identical twins. Strong enough the two can communicate memories and thoughts as well. And the strength of that ability explains James’s troublesome tendency to mentally scream his emotions at Danny. But the other boy is working on controlling it, only sending emotions deliberately and not often.
But all the same, Danny is grateful. That empathic communication has proven useful for comforting each other before- James when he first discovered he was a clone and Danny after a nightmare a few days ago. Long distance, it could be useful in the future if one of them gets kidnapped or injured. But best of all in Danny’s opinion, it makes him feel like he’s known James for years, not the ten days the clone has existed. It probably explains why Danny is so quick to call James his twin brother.
“Wow.” James’s amazed voice cuts through Danny’s thought. “The sky’s so….beautiful right now.”
Danny briefly glances at James, before fixing his eyes on the horizon. His lips turn up in a smile as his eyes widen slightly. “Yeah it is.”
Nodding, James looks at his brother for a second, holding his hands in front of him. His smile widens and Danny can’t help smiling with him. “That orangish pink color. It’s so calming...almost and Those little clouds. The way the light reflects off of them. They look so...light and fluffy.” The boy sighs, his hand waving in the air and moving to point. “And right there, where the edge of the cloud met the still blue sky. It’s just….wow.”
James blinks, wonder still painting his face. Still grinning at seeing his twin so amazed, Danny can’t help but chuckle. “Really eloquent at the end there, huh?” He gently elbows the other boy.
James rolls his eyes. “Oh shut up, Danny.” He quips fondly.
“No really. You were almost poetic there for a bit but I guess you kinda lost it at the end there.” James just shrugs, nonchalantly and Danny continues. “I’m just happy you’re not still spazzing.”
The other half ghost crosses his arms in faux offense. “I wasn’t spazzing.”
“Oh please. If you were on the ground, they’d be a new ditch in the park.” Danny raises a brow.
“Maybe I was being a little ridiculous.” James waves his fingers in a so-so motion.
“A little?”
“Okay, more than a little. Thanks for talking some sense into me.”
"No problem." Danny shrugs. "And ya don't have ta keep thanking me."
The other boy gives a subtle grin. "Maybe I'm just a grateful person."
"Yeah." Danny smiles. "So how was your day?" His brother raises an eyebrow at the change of topic. "Mom and Dad weren't too bad, right?"
"Nah." The other boy shakes his head. "They only wanted me to help in lab for a couple hours."
"And you're okay with that?"
"Yeah. It's interesting actually. Mom taught me how to work the microscope. I looked at some of the samples we gave them. It was cool."
"Well, that's good. I'm happy they're not being over the top with the research."
"Yeah. They're not, at all. And really, I'd rather be involved. To know how I work. Make sure I'm healthy."
"I get what you mean." Danny nods, agreeing. He'd also been interested in how being half ghosts works, even before Mom and Dad found out, though he still has a lingering fear of being a lab rat. Danny shivers; Comes from nightmares about being vivisected and experimented on by the GIW and rarely by his parents. Fears that had been greatly eased by his parents' acceptance and understanding. Fears that luckily James didn't seem to have.
But even with his fears, Danny was willing to offer blood and ectoplasm samples, though more for James's benefit than for his parents or his own curiosity. His clone brother's health….well every other clone had had stability issues; Mom and Dad had freaked out a bit, hovering with parental overprotectiveness after finding out. Even Vlad had his problems with ectoacne. Though there hadn't been any indication of problems so far, Danny and James agreed with their parents; it was best to check James before problems showed up so they'd both given samples to establish a baseline.
Danny desperately hopes no stability issues arise with James. A calming hand appears on the halfa's shoulder causing Danny to glance over. James. Clearly the other halfa senses his worry. "I'm fine. And I'm going to stay fine."
"I know." Danny shakes his head, easing at James's comfort. "Doesn't mean I can't worry."
His twin raises a brow. "And you were just getting on me for that earlier."
"That's different." Danny frowns.
"Sure…." The word comes skeptically. "I think we're just both balls of anxiety today."
Danny hums. Okay maybe he’s worrying a bit. Not to mention, he’s also starting to wonder where Elle is to. Oh, and they hadn’t even mentioned the worries about finally dealing with James and Elle’s lack of legal documents and what they’re going to tell the town so the two, James especially, can finally go out in public. Or Vlad eventually finding out about...everything.
James side-eyes his brother, clearly sensing another anxious spike. "Anyway, enough of that.” He sends a nudge of comfort. “How was school, Danny?"
"Ehh pretty standard.” Danny pushes down the worries, focusing on the question. “English was boring. Dash was annoying. But I wasn't late for any class and turned in all my homework so that was good. Oh and…" Danny grins. "You won't believe what Wes did."
"What did-" James's question was cut off by his ghost sense, twin puffs of cold air exiting from each half ghost's mouth.
“Ghost child.” A metallic ghost voice sounds behind the two half ghosts, causing both to whip around.
“Skulker!” Danny narrows his eyes. “How about we not-”
The half ghost has no time to react before the hunter tases him, a vaguely confused expression on his mechanical face. Danny yelps as the lightning flows through him. His core pulses, threatening to give out as he drops several feet. Above him, James screams as he too is shot, though he remained level in the air.
Skulker glances between the two. “I figured that would disperse one of you.”
“I’m not a duplicate!” James yells, earning a confused and exacerbated glare from the hunter ghost.
Danny takes advantage of the distraction to shoot Skulker with an ectoblast from below. The ghost glares, knocked to the side by the hit. A second later, Skulker shots again, his taser grazing James. “Why did it have to be electricity?” The halfa mutters.
Danny agrees with the sentiment; being electrocuted sucks, brings back memories of how he got his powers. He shivers for a second, blasting ice at Skulker who tases him again. He grits his teeth at the pain.
“I’m not paid enough for this.” The hunter ghost mutters, turning his attention to Danny, as he rights himself and takes a fighting stance. More ice, another ectoplasm and Skulker looks annoyed and slightly singed. “You little-”
In the chaos both fighters had lost track of the other halfa. “Skulker!” James yells, lodging a shoot and Danny startles as electricity surges through the hunter ghost. He fixes wide eyes on his twin, who stares at the lightning leaps from his finger. “That was unexpected.”
“Yeah.” He hadn’t seen that coming. (Then again, maybe he should; Danny himself had electricity powers but he hated using them. Maybe James just had more affinity for the skill than him.)
In the distraction, both halfas fail to react as Skulker attacks again. Danny screams as electricity surges through him again, the voltage clearly higher as his core sputters and shuts down. The white rings form around his waist turning him human. He plummets to the ground.
“Danny!” His brother darts towards him, ghostly tail trailing after him as he plummets but Skulker lodges another shoot from a different gun. A net wraps around him.
Danny’s eyes widen as he hits a branch, falling below it. The leaves block his view of James and Skulker as he struggles to transform. Come on! Another yelp above him, no longer echoing, and Danny hits the ground hard, hitting his head. He passes out.
Elle darts across the darkened sky. “Stupid ectopus” She grumbles, flying fast to make up time lost fighting the dumb ghost at the edge of Amity Park.
She flies past a restaurant, a dinner Danny took her for burgers before. Oh it smells so good. Her stomach rumbles. Hopefully they can go again once she meets Danny in the park. She turns to the left sharply and thirty seconds later is hovering over a stand of trees in the park, their usual meeting spot. He wasn’t floating like normal. Invisible, she glances around, at the playground to the left, the baseball field in front of her. She scans the teenager and kids playing, looking for Danny in his human form. He wasn’t there either.
“Danny?” She called.
A groan sounds below her, only audible because of her increased ghostly hearing. A very familiar groan. “Danny!”
Elle darts towards the ground, rustling the leaves as she flies. She hovers to a stop, floating over her original, her older brother. He looks slightly singed and bruised, though luckily not bleeding.
He groans again, blurry eyes blinking open. “James?”
“Who?” Elle frowns, confusion mixing with her concern.
Danny blinks again, clarity quickly entering his gaze. “Elle?” She nods and the boy shoots up. “Elle!” He looks side to side, eyes wide with panic. “Where’s James?”
“Who’s James?” Elle’s head tilts.
“James!” Danny calls again. “James!”
“Who’s James?” Elle repeats more forcefully.
“James! Shit.” His hand goes to his head. “I think Skulker got him. His first ghost fight and I let him get kidnapped! Stupid!”
“Danny!” Elle shouts, having had enough. She puts an arm on Danny’s shoulder and almost recoils at the sharp panic projected through the contact. She rips her arm away, heart rate increasing. “Who’s James? What does he look like? Maybe I saw him in the park earlier.”
Danny’s mouth snaps. He licks his lips, nervously. “If you did, you would know.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Elle frowns.
“He was right. I should have told you earlier.” Danny sighs. “Well….long story short. Dad accidentally cloned me.”
Elle’s eyes widen, instantly the size of dinner plates. “Dad? You mean your dad. Your dad, Jack Fenton clone you. Accidentally.”
“Yes. So we have a new brother, James.”
The girl blinks, mind sputtering. “Your dad cloned you.”
“Technically he’s your dad too.” Danny wrings his hand. “And he and Mom have already said they want you as their kid. Since they know about me being Phantom now.”
Elle just stares, feeling like her brain broke. A confusing mix of emotions churns in her gut. Confusion, disbelief. What….how....how do you even make a clone accidentally? anxiety, fear, wariness…..Danny’s parents know and want to meet her…but they cloned their son. And what about this James? Is he nice? Will he like her?... And a little excitement at the thought of a new brother, another halfa, another clone like her. Even a little jealousy….another clone, not made by Vlad but by Jack Fenton, right in Danny’s house.
Elle shivers, feeling some panic rise as Danny’s still ranting. “So James and I were going to meet you here so you and James could get to know each other. And then we’d go home and you can actually meet Mom and Dad. And figure out what to do now.” Danny’s breath is coming in and out quickly, his chest heaving. “But Skulker showed up and I’m out of practice and James’s never fought ghosts before. But I got overconfident and distracted ‘cause it was two to one. But I got knocked out and Skulker took James and now I have no idea where they went.” His hands shake. “And James is probably freaking out. And Mom and Dad are gonna freak out. And I think I freaked you out, cause you haven’t said anything and...and….”
The sight of Danny’s wide panicked eyes finally grabs the girl’s attention; she can freak out about everything later but Danny and the new clone need her now. “Danny, take a deep breath.” The boy shakes his head, struggling to calm his breathing. Bracing herself, Elle puts a hand on his shoulder. She tenses, clearly feeling Danny’s panic. She pushes back, sending her best attempt as calm. “Try to calm down. You can’t help James like this.”
That keenly gets Danny’s attention. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “You’re right, you’re right. Why am I freaking out like this? James-” He cuts himself off. Closing his eyes, he shakes his head and Elle feels his realization, on top of the lessening panic. “He’s projecting again.”
“Projecting?” Elle furrows her brow.
“Emotionally projecting. Like how I can feel you're still really confused about all this. But long distance.” Danny puts a hand on his head.
Feeling slightly self conscious, Elle removes her hand. Not that she doesn’t want Danny to know she’s confused, but she’s not the most comfortable with the empathic communication they can do as sibling ghosts. Often it's a sad reminder of her clone brothers..err...the brother made by Vlad...and the empathic bonds that are lost to her now. The surge of pain, fear, and love she’d felt from them as they died, the last communication from four people who’d only been able to speak through those emotions.
She swallows. “That’s possible?”
“Yeah. James tends to yell his feelings.” He pales. “And he’s really freaking out. He’s really scared.” Danny pushes himself to his feet. “We need to find him. But I don’t know where Skulker was taking him!” Both hands grip the older halfa’s head as the white rings form around his waist. He floats for the ground. “How am I supposed to find him?! We’ve got to find him.”
Before he can dart off, Elle grabs his arm. “Wait. Why don’t you try to ask James where he is?”
Danny’s ghostly tail twitches under him. His confusion brushes Elle’s mind. “What do you mean?”
“If you can feel what he’s feeling, maybe he can feel what you are. And...we’ve communicated thoughts and memories before.” Heck Elle had some of Danny’s memories, ones she’d gained before she’d meet him. “Maybe you can get him to send an image of where he is.”
Danny nods. “Okay. That’s a good idea.” There’s a tickle of gratitude as Danny accepts the idea before Elle moves her hand again. Danny closes his eyes. “James! James!” A pause. “It’s okay. Elle and me are going to come get you. You’re going to be okay.”
After a few seconds, Danny sighs in relief. He opens his eyes, blinking at Elle. “I’ve got him. Where are you?” It worked? Elle marvels as Danny closes his eyes and wrinkles his brow.
A few seconds later. “Vlad…..Vlad’s mansion.” He tenses, twitching in the air. “He does? How….nevermind. Find a window to break. Turn human to get through the shield.” Danny frowns and Elle copies his expression. At least, it sounds like James managed to get away from Vlad.
Danny’s expression morphs into panic. “Tell him you’re a clone! It’ll throw him off, distract him. Stale him until the three of us can deal with him together.” He nods. “Alright. You’ve got this bro.”
Danny opens his eyes and looks at her. She smiles at his now determined expression. “That’s a good plan.” She pats his shoulder. “He’ll be fine ‘til we get there.”
The older halfa nods. “He will. He can handle it.”
Elle can feel he believes it. “Let’s go.” She floats up and the two half ghosts fly towards Vlad’s mansion.
“Let me go!” James demands, voice wavering despite his attempt to sound confident. The hunter ghost grips the net containing the struggling halfa with one hand.
“Stop struggling.” The ghost says sharply.
In response, James just struggles more, reaching for his ghost powers. If he can burn or freeze the net, even use that lightning again. But no luck, his core barely sparks. He swallows. “I’m not just gonna let you skin me!”
Skulker glares down. “As much as I would love to acquire your pelt today, I must deliver you to my employer.”
“Your employer?” James pales, confusion and a small suspicion tickling his mind.
“You know who I work for.” The hunter narrows his eyes skeptically.
Plasmius. That must be who Skulker is delivering him too. Panic spikes in the boy as he continues his struggling. What...why….why did the older halfa hire Skulker to capture him?! Does Plasmius know about everything? Is he going to threaten James? Try to convince him to leave his family? Manipulate or bribe or threaten or...
“Stop that!” Skulker demands, cutting through the panicked thoughts. A taser jabs at the boy’s skin, the electricity making his muscles lock up. He falls limp.
The trees and buildings blur past as James tries to convince his muscles to move. His mind pounds with worry about the upcoming confrontation. But all too soon, Skulker turns both of them invisible and phases into a large home at the edge of town, almost a mansion. The hunter comes to a stop in a fancy looking room with bookcases, a desk, and a fireplace. He unceremoniously dumps James on the floor and pulls the net off of him. The young halfa lies on the floor for a few seconds, trying to gain his bearings before a disapproving voice washes over him.
“Now. You did not damage him too badly, did you Skulker?”
“Of course not.” Skulker says, reaching down and yanking James to his feet. “I have delivered the ghost child as you asked.”
“I can see that.” Vlad eyes the wavering halfa judgmentally before waving Skulker off. “You may leave.”
Skulker removes his hand from James’s arm, the sudden lack of support causing him to almost lose his balance. He dips forward, his heart pounding in his chest, but his hands brace on the chair in front of him. A few seconds of staring at his feet and James manages to steady himself enough to stand without the support though his knees shake.
“This would be much easier if you would answer my phone calls.” Vlad’s voice, severely annoyed as if he’s been terribly inconvenienced, causes James’s head to whip up.
“What?” He manages to quietly ask. What phone calls?.
Vlad shows no indication he heard the question. He motions to the chair near James, on the opposite side of the desk from where the older halfa is sitting. “Have a seat.” James remains immobile, frozen in fear as he finally takes in the older halfa’s appearance. Long, silver hair. An impeccable, expensive suit. He is postured, back straight, everything in his body language screaming control, experience, subtle intimidation. Ever the cat he’s slowly stroking in his lab communicates malice intent, someone cunning, three steps ahead of you. Until they snap.
The older halfa narrows his eyes at the lack of response. “Have a seat.” James shivers; and the worse part is the ghostly aura of power. His cold core can sense the burning, heat wafting off of the other halfa’s core. “I said, have a seat.” Blue eyes flash red, an almost manic fire just below the surface, barely controlled but waiting to build and consume.
James obeys, sitting heavily in his chair. And Vlad grins maliciously. “Much better.” After a second, the smile lessens into a taunting frown. “What is this? No quips, no demands, no idle threats of violence. Have you finally learned your place, boy?”
The younger halfa fights not to cringe at the insult. He swallows. “Why did you have Skulker bring me here?”
The malicious taunting ends, morphing into a more neutral expression. “As I said, you never answer my calls. And you’ve been extraordinarily quiet, little badger. You’ve not barged in my office in months, no threats or taunts.” Vlad ceases petting the cat which hops up onto the desk. It bats at some knick-knacks, including a cylindrical container. Was that a Fenton Thermos? Vlad bats the cat away. “Shoo, Maddie.”
James cringes at the name. Vlad has a cat named after his mom, seriously?
Vlad continues. “I had figured you would fall into at least one of my traps in the last month. But alas, nothing. I have to say. I am unsure whether to be impressed or disappointed.”
James doesn’t respond, carefully avoiding the other halfa’s eyes. Dread and confusion, subdued panic, swirl in his gut. Months...what is Vlad talking about, he hasn’t...?
“You remain silent?” Vlad raises a brow before he sighs. “Is your mother’s intelligence finally showcasing itself? Instead of your father’s moronic short sightedness? Have you finally learned to hold your tongue?”
A little anger spikes, only adding to James’s fear instead of relieving it. “Don’t talk about my dad like that.” He argues quietly.
“I will speak of the idiot Jack Fenton however I wish.” Vlad narrows his eyes. “Now tell me, what are you up to?”
“What? Up to?” James tilts his head. He’s not up to anything. He still doesn’t understand...
“Yes, You are up to something. Even now you are acting suspiciously.” Vlad glares.
“I….I don’t know what you’re talking about.” The younger halfa swallows curling in on himself.
“This meek, frightened act is unbecoming, boy.”
“It’s not…” James tries to defend, feeling his anxiety radiating off of him.
“Oh. You admit I intimidate you now?” Vlad raises a brow.
“No.” James shakes his head, denying. He’s not intimidated, no.
Fire ignites in Vlad’s hand, the heat burning into James’s skin. “You should be intimidated. Have you finally realized what a powerful enemy you’ve made? If only you’d joined me at the beginning, Daniel.”
Daniel? His original’s name rings in the clone’s head. And he feels very stupid.
“But you have lost your opportunity to join me as a son.”
Vlad thinks he’s Danny. Shit, shit, shit.
“You wish me to be the villain? I will play the part. But I will not be ignored. ”
Vlad thinks he's Danny and is doing the whole villain speech, like James is the one who refused and thwarted him at every turn.
“I said, I will not be ignored. Are you even listening boy?” Vlad hisses, heat streaming off of him.
Oh he’s listening. James can’t help but listen. What does he say? What can he do?
Vlad’s flaming hand appears in front of his face. “You will listen. This is my game, understand.”
Game. This is a game to him. Images of Vlad overshadowing and sending ghosts after his dad. Trying to steal their portal. Flirting with Mom. Stealing the Ring of Rage, the Infinity Map. Infecting Sam and Tucker with ectoacne. Injecting Jazz with nanobots and forcing her into a metal suit.
The flames inch closer. “This is my game. And you do not get to choose when you exit.”
Vlad shooting him, punching him, kidnapping him. Not, not him. The fuzzy haze of borrowed memories. Vlad electrocuting and torturing his brother. A scream as he’s forced to turn human.
“It’s...it’s not a game.” It's not. It's life and death. Images of Elle melting. The other clones. THE OTHER CLONES.
“Oh yes it is.” Vlad grins wickedly. “My game. You do not get to choose to stop playing.”
“No.” James shakes his head.
“Do you understand me, Daniel?” The man sneers, flames licking at his fingers.
But he's not Danny. He has many of Danny's memories but he's not Danny. He's never been Danny. He's James. He didn't ask to be part of this, Vlad's game. He doesn't know! Doesn't know!
James's chest heaves as he manages to nod, mostly so Vlad doesn't burn his face off.
"Better." The fire in Vlad's hand dies and the man leans back. "Now tell me what you are hiding."
James blinks. “What?”
“You are acting strangely.” The older man narrows his eyes. “What happened, Daniel? What are you hiding?”
Hiding? That he’s not Danny. Should he tell Vlad he’s not Danny? Or keep pretending? He doesn’t want to pretend to be Danny. Not when he’s had enough trouble separating his identity from Danny’s. He’s not a copy, doesn’t want to be a copy. But…..Vlad’s words from Danny’s memory. You exist to serve me. Vlad is not his maker but Vlad never valued the lives of Elle and the other clones. Will Vlad see him as subhuman too?
Vlad snaps his fingers. “Daniel. Tell me.”
“No.” James shakes his head.
In the blink of an eye, Vlad stands in front of him, a hand on his upper arm. “You will tell me, boy.”
Flickering intangible, James pulls out of Vlad’s grip. “Leave me alone!” His core pulses, a mix of fear and anger. He needs to get away. Summoning the rings, he’s blessedly able to transform.
“Really, Daniel? Must we fight? We can talk like civilized people.” Vlad rolls his eyes, condescendingly.
If James wasn’t so afraid, he’d have scoffed. Instead he shot an ectoplasm as strong as he could form quickly. It hit the still human halfa, knocking him into the desk. James flees before Vlad can recover. He flies out of the office and into a long hallway. Which way? Which way?! Not pausing to think he continues forward and is at the front door in seconds. He tries the knob. Shit, it’s locked! Try a window? In the dining room. He’s breathing too fast, his heart too fast. He tries to push open a window when a voice yells into his head.
James! James puts his hand on his head. What was that? That wasn’t his thought. James!
James startles again, but he recognizes the voice for lack of a better word. “Danny?” He whispers.
It’s okay. Elle and me are going to come get you. You’re going to be okay. Danny’s voice shouts again.
“Danny!” He physically and mentally shouts. “Can you hear me?”
A mental sigh of relief, a conformation. I’ve got him. Quiet, not directed at him. Where are you? The second sentence is stronger, a question directed at him.
“I’m...I’m at Vlad’s mansion. Trying to get away.” He pulls at the window and glances outside. “Ghost shield.”
A few seconds later. Vlad…..Vlad’s mansion. Danny repeats.
“Doors locked. Can’t get out.” He flies through the wall into the kitchen, receiving concern at the message.
“Daniel! You are not leaving until I say you are.” Vlad calls from somewhere in the mansion.
James frowns, twitching in the air. “Vlad thinks I’m you.”
He does? How….nevermind. Find a window to break. Turn human to get through the shield.
He really should have thought of that himself. “On it.” Before James can look for something to break the window with, Vlad barges into the room.
He found me. The young halfa mentally screams.
Growling, Vlad in Plasmius form grabs his arm. The world swirls as he teleports both of them back to the office.
“You thought you were clever, didn’t you, little badger?”
Tell him you’re a clone! It’ll throw him off, distract him. Stale him until the three of us can deal with him together.
Vlad sneers in his face. “I am in control here, not you.
James mentally cringes and Danny sends him comforting sympathy. You’ve got this bro. The words are confident; Danny believes in him completely.
Before James can respond, Danny’s mental presence disappears, leaving James feeling alone. But he can do this. Stealing his courage, James sneers right back.
Pupiless red eyes flashing dangerously, Vlad slaps him. “You thought you could escape from me?!” James startles from the hit as Vlad shakes him. “This is my house, Daniel.”
“I’m not Daniel!” The boy spits out, heart still pounding with fear.
“I don’t care that you prefer Danny-” Vlad starts.
“I’m a clone.” James shouts, the statement sounding more confident than he feels.
“That is a ridiculous lie. Why would I believe that Daniel?” Vlad glares.
“My name's James. And it’s...it’s not a lie.” James swallows. “I can prove it.”
“You are not tricking me, boy.” Vlad shakes him again and throws him into the chair.
Hands shaking, James starts to pull off his right glove. “I...I don’t have his lichtenberg scar.”
“That is-” Vlad’s words cut off as James waves the scar free hand. The older halfa’s eyes widen as he grabs the hand, inspecting it. “This is impossible.”
“Don’t touch me!” James pulls away, glaring at Vlad despite the goose bumps rising.
Vlad ignores him, seemingly talking to himself. “You cannot cover up or shapeshift away death scars.” True, and James didn’t have Danny’s death scar because he’d never died like Danny had. “I can sense you are a half ghost. But….the only clone left in the wretched girl.”
“Don’t talk about her like that.” James grits his teeth.
Vlad finally looks in his eyes. “You are not one of mine.” James cringes at the thought of him being Vlad’s. The older halfa doesn’t register the reaction, his brow furrowing like he’s trying to solve a difficult math problem. “Unless….no. None of them could be restabilized after the complete destabilization. So made by another ghost? Why?” As much as James wants to spit out the truth, he lets Vlad sweat it out. “Who else would want to clone Daniel? Who would even be capable of such a thing?” Vlad blinks at James and shakes his head. “Who is your maker, boy?”
“He’s not my maker. My dad.” James crosses his arms.
Vlad rolls his eyes. “How quaint. Still, who created you?”
“Jack Fenton.” Despite the tension, a slight smile appears on his face.
Vlad blinks. “Excuse me?”
“Jack Fenton. The man you called an idiot earlier, he’s my dad and the person who cloned me.”
“That is impossible. You are mistaken.” Vlad shakes his head, eyes wide.
“I am not.” James deliberately keeps his voice steady. “Jack Fenton made me.”
“Jack...Jack Fenton is an idiot. He could never-” Vlad sputters, startling to look off balanced.
“Well he did.” James points. “And he did it on accident.” Though the words sting, he forces them out.
“No. He could not….He did not….” Vlad shakes his head, collapsing into his chair, still in ghost form. “Jack Fenton is too much of a moron…”
“Stop calling my Dad a moron!” James leans forward, real anger prickling.
“But how?” Vlad blinks again. “How could he even manage to clone someone by accident?”
“We don’t know.” He narrows his eyes. “And even if we did, we’d never tell you.” Memories of how Vlad treated the other clones flashes in James’s mind. “We destroyed everything. The invention, all the records so you will never get your hands on it, you heartless-”
Vlad puts up his hands, a calculating look entering his face. “Come now. I believe we got off on the wrong foot. I am Vlad Masters-”
“I know who you are.” James cuts him off.
“I suppose you do. Then you know I am wealthy, powerful. I can offer you luxury, knowledge, teach you everything I know. All I require-”
“Is that I turn on my family?!” James raises a brow, his fist balling.
“Now little badger…” Vlad says, belittling.
“Really! You have Skulker kidnap me. And the wrong half ghost by the way.” The younger half ghost frowns angrily. “You threaten me, hurt me, trap me in here. And then you try to get me on your side. Are you serious?!”
“If you had told me who you were from the beginning-” Vlad puts his hands out.
“You routinely kidnap and beat up a teenager! How is that acceptable?!”
“Daniel can be very….head strong. He needs a firm hand.” The man slimily tries to excuse.
“Shut up! I know how you work! You manipulate and cheat to get what you want. You are a horrible person who hates my Dad, wants my Mom to marry you, and Danny to be your half ghost lackey.”
“Is that what your original told you? All I want is love. A child to pass on my legacy, my knowledge. That could be you, if you take what I offer.”
“If you just want a kid, why did you clone Danny?” James spit out. “Why not adopt?”
Vlad blinks, the question seeming to startle him. “I want someone of my own kind, another half ghost who can understand me.”
“You had a half ghost kid, Danielle. And you threw her away!” James yells, indignant.
The man seems to pale, despite his blue skin. “You do not know what you speak about.”
“Yes I do.” James points, one finger deliberately on his head. “I know what you did to her and the other clones. I know what you’ve done to my Dad and my Mom. To my brother, Danny.” James grins. “And Mom and Dad know about you.” Vlad blinks, looking startled. “They know about you trying to kill Dad. You beating up and kidnapping my brother.”
“Now that is all exaggerated.” The older half ghost argues, baring his teeth.
“It’s not and you know it! My family knows what you did now and you’ll never get what you want. Not your revenge or Mom’s heart. Or Danny or me or even another clone as a pawn.” James leaned forward glaring.
“Why you little-” Vlad’s aura flares, his hand igniting with ectoblasts.
“And you know what’s really sad. Dad was so upset when Danny told him about you, ‘cause he thought you were friends. He cares about you so much but you’ve hurt his family, repeatedly because you’re jealous! You don’t just want to be loved! You want to control people! You want to buy their love and allegiance.”
“What do you know, little clone boy?” The older halfa hisses, turning the tables. James pales at the verbal lashing as Vlad floats off of his seat, the ectoblasts in his hands flickering like fire. “How dare you lecture me? I only want what I am owed, the life, the family that was stolen from me because of Jack Fenton’s stupidity! You’re what? A week old? What do you know about love or a family?”
James’s heart clenches at the stark reminder of his origin, his youth. He was a practically newborn clone. Maybe he was talking about things he didn’t know. But then again…he schools his expression, narrowing eyes at the older halfa. “I know I have a family and they love and accept me. They always have and I didn’t have to bribe or manipulate them. That’s more than you can say.”
“You ungrateful!” Eyes glowing like coal, Vlad leaps at James who ducks.
The enraged halfa barely misses him and James curses himself. He was supposed to keep him talking, not provoke him to fight. An ectoblast hits James into the table and he lands heavily on the floor.
Something falls in his lap, the thermos. With the word, Fenton, on it. In the blink of an eye, James rips the lid off and points the beam at Vlad. The older half ghost’s expression morphs from anger to panic as he’s sucked in. With a cry of protest, Vlad disappears within the device and James slams the lid down.
The boy stays on the floor, breathing heavily for several moments. He stares at the thermos; it has a small note engraved on it. ‘To V-man from your friend Jack’
Looking down, James sighs. He studies the thermos and addresses its occupant. “You know, Mom and Dad do love you Vlad, just not in the way you want. And yeah, I don’t know everything. All I have are borrowed memories and what Jazz and Danny told me. But maybe things could have been different. You were supposed to be our Uncle Vlad.”
The boy places the thermos on the floor beside him and returns to his human form. Luckily, he’s for the most part unhurt physically, though a confusing mix of emotions surge through him from his confrontation with Vlad. He meant most of what he said, feeling anger at Vlad’s treatment of his family mixed with a little pity of the man.
With another sigh, James pushes himself to his feet. Hopefully Danny and Elle would be here soon. Maybe he should find the shield and turn it off. Something crashes in another room, causing James to dart out of the office, thermos in hand. He runs into the dinning room in time to see Danny flying through the window.
“Danny!” “James!” Both shout at the same time.
James runs forward and a second later, the two brothers hug.
“Are you okay? Where’s Vlad? Did he hurt you?” Danny rambles, his relief washing over James.
James’s muscles relax for the first time since Skulker attacked. “I’m fine. I’m fine. He didn’t hurt me that bad.”
“That bad?!” With one last squeeze, Danny steps back. His eyes trail James’s figure, looking for injuries. He winces, seeing the fresh burn marks near James’s neck. “He got you with an ectoblast?”
“Yeah.” James frowns looking down at the burn peeking out from his shirt.
“It doesn’t look bad at least.” Danny wrinkles his nose.
“So...where’s Vlad?” A female voice beside the two boys draws James’s attention away. His eyes fall on the other floating half ghost. Messy shoulder length white hair, green eyes, a black and white jumpsuit similar to his and Danny’s but with different accents. Though she’s only seen her through Danny’s memories, he knows this is Elle, the other still living clone.
“Yeah. What happened?” Danny asks.
James held up the thermos. “I riled him up like Danny said.” And he’s so grateful that worked, that his empathic bond with his brother let him get help when he was in over his head. “I managed to capture him.”
Elle’s jaw drops. “You captured Vlad.” She holds up her hand for a high five. “That’s awesome!”
The two high five and James get a burst of excitement and curiosity from the contact. He smiles. “I’m James by the way. But I figure Danny said that.”
“I’m Elle.” She waves. “So you’re a clone, like me.”
James furrows his brow. “Yeah.”
“Cool.” She nods. “So….what are we doing now?”
James glances at the thermos again. “I guess we….” He trails off unsure.
“We can take the thermos home. See what Mom and Dad want to do.” Danny says with a frown.
“Can we get some food first?” Elle asks. “I’m starving.”
James nods. “Yes! I could go for some food too. I need to do something fun after…..that.”
“Oh can we go to that dinner you took me to before, the one with the good burgers Danny?!” Elle’s eyes lit up with excitement.
Expression skeptical, Danny looks between James and Elle. “How exactly are we supposed to….” He motions between himself and James.
The other boy grins, getting an idea. “How about you go as Danny Fenton..” He transforms into his ghost half. “And I’ll go as Phantom?”
Danny’s eyes widen as he deadpans. “And that won’t be suspicious at all.”
James shrugs. “Amity Park is weird. No one will bat an eye.”
“Yes! Yes! Yes!” Elle floats forward, grabbing James’s arm. “Let’s do it! Let’s go. Please Danny. Please.” She gives her best puppy dog eyes. James can’t help but laugh, lips pouting ever so slightly too.
Danny looks between the two of them. “I’m not sure if this is a horrible or a wonderful idea.” He points. “And are you two going to gang up on me now?”
James grins. “Sometimes.” He gently elbows Danny. “Come on. Mom and Dad said we had until ten to get home. So we’ve got time to hang out.”
Danny lips turn up into a smile. “Alright, let’s go.” He glances out the window, seeing the ghost shield. “Maybe we should turn the ghost shield off first.”
“Good idea.” Elle nods.
Five minutes of looking and James finds the button hidden in Vlad’s office. The shield turns off and the three phase outside the building. James looks up, taking in the starry sky.
“Do you like the stars too?” Elle floats beside him.
He nods smiling at her. “Yeah. I do.”
“They’re really pretty in the desert. I was there a few months ago. And...wow.” Elle marvels.
Danny flies up, from James’s left. “Maybe all three of us can go together some time.”
“I’d like that.” James grins.
Elle hums in agreement before darting in front of the boys. “Danny. Jamie. Let’s go! Last one there is a rotten egg!”
She’s laughing and flying off before James can ask about the nick name (it’s kinda nice, and fits with Danny and Elle’s names).
Danny’s in front of him, fleeing. “I am not gonna be a rotten egg!”
James laughs, the sound loud and happy. His heart bubbles with love for his two half ghost siblings. Danny, his brother whose been there believing in him since the beginning (it’s been 10 days but it’s a longtime when it’s his whole life). Elle, his little (biologically at least) sister who he looks forward to getting to know; maybe he shouldn’t have been afraid of her not liking him. They have a lot ahead of them- dealing with Vlad, ids and birth certificates, the explanations for the teacher and students. Elle still needs to meet Mom and Dad. But right now is time for burger and sibling bonding.
“Wait for me!” James yells, flying off after the two half ghosts.