Chapter Text
Flying….
It's the only reason you're surviving right now. Trying to get somewhere safe
Though what is safe ?
Is it the comfort of a home, armed with anti ghost machinery. That at any time could go off and harm you. A sister that constantly worries for your safety from parents that want to tear you molecule by molecule. As well from ghosts, that no matter how hard you try to speak with them. They will not stop going after you and your town.
Or is it friends that help with capturing ghosts, that could easily overpower them if you aren't there to help. Then talk when the ghost is captured and you all relax and enjoy the day, worrying about finishing homework assignments for the next day.
Is it a nemesis that does all he can to claim you as his own? Anger radiating in his core towards your father that had caused him to become what he is. As well as an obsession towards your mother, that if noticed has slowly started to fade. Who as well has started to bother you less. After fruitless battles, learning that it is pointless to fight you for something he cannot achieve.
Safe ….
What is it?
You wonder as you avoid an ecto gun blast, whizzing by your head. Grazing your cheek, that starts to pool ectoplasm from it. Using your free hand, you wipe the ectoplasm away.
It's hard staying afloat above a city? Suburb? You're not sure, you don't even know where you are.
All you remember is getting home after a long battle from Skulker. The ghost never letting you rest, even when the weekend is close. He had new inventions added to his suit, including one that would revert you back into your human form. Immobilizing you, for who knows how long from your ghost powers.
You were lucky enough to catch him by surprise and suck him into the thermos. Letting out a relieved sigh, before heading back to your friends and celebrating.
It was late when you got back home, climbing the stairs leading to your house. You could sense something was wrong but thought nothing of it.
Once you entered your home, you knew something was wrong. It was quiet, compared to the usual clattering of machinery down in the basement.
Looking around, you noticed that your sister is not here. Then you remembered that she was out of town, spending the weekend with friends.
It is Friday after all you thought to yourself, as you headed towards your room.
Maybe your parents are out hunting ghosts, though you remember seeing the GAV parked outside the home.
“Danny, are you home?” You hear your mother say from the kitchen
Poking your head into the kitchen, you see your parents preparing dinner. It’s an odd sight for you to see as it’s either Jazz or you cooking.
“I am, I thought you and dad were out since I didn’t hear you guys in the basement” you commented, sitting down at the table, laying your bag down by your feet.
“We wanted a break and decided to cook something while you got home”
Looking at the food on the stove, you notice nothing is going wrong. No toaster coming to life, no odd looking plasma like food coming for revenge.
Nothing
For once since your accident, you feel at ease in a house filled with anti ghost weapons.
Then how did it all go so wrong?
The food, that is where… though you remember watching your mother setting your plate by you. There was nothing she could’ve done to spike the food, unless she had done it before you entered the kitchen.
You can’t remember…..
For once you ate and finished the food, you suddenly got tired and headed to your room for some rest. Giving your mother a small thanks and greeting your father on the way
If you had been more aware, you would’ve noticed the glint in their eyes, or their sly smiles. Not even once touching the food they had made, a trap they had set for you.
A trap that would make you think twice if you could really call them your parents….
For as soon as your head hit the soft pillow of your bed, you fell asleep. A slumber you wished, you never woke up for when you did. The next moments spent in the basement, where some of the worst in your half-life.
--------
A shock is what woke you, turning into Phantom to defend yourself only to find restraints preventing you from moving.
“Ah…. You’re awake” a sickeningly sweet voice stated
Looking the best you can, you see your mother looking at you with what you can only describe as hatred? Disgust? Excitement? You cannot tell
“M-mom what’s going on? Wh-why am I-“ SLAP
“Don’t you dare call me mother ghost scum!” She sounds angry, now closer to you, you could see that her eyes radiate anger. Anger you know will not be directed to anyone else but you, strapped to a metal table
“How we have been foolish as to not see that our poor Danny had been taken over by a ghost.”
“But we’re going to change that! Ghosts don’t feel pain so I’m sure you won’t mind a little experimentation to see just how much of our boy you have taken now do you?” Happily, all to happily stated your father Jack
You don’t know what to say, thoughts running through your head as you figure out an escape plan
“Listen please! It’s me! I’m still Danny! Please….”
Your pleas go unheard from the two Fentons, as Jack rolls a cart covered with a small cloth on top. You recognize what is behind that cloth, being down here countless times even before your accident. Suddenly it's getting harder for you to breathe, a panic attack on the verge of appearing.
“Please… no no no please, don’t do this please”
“Look Mads it has feelings, they even got Danny’s crying to a T!” Jack lets out an irritated laugh, annoyed at you for using their son’s face to try and get sympathy from them
“You’re right, now shall we continue dear. We have much to learn from this imposter of a son”
Before you can utter another word, a sharp pain erupts in your chest that leads down to your abdomen. Followed by two more on your shoulder before the skin is folding back revealing your ghastly insides.
“Organs like a human, tainted in green. Where a heart is supposed to be a circular orb lies there” amuses Maddie, reaching with her scalpel to look closer at your core
Your core…
The most private and protected item of a ghost. For a core, is more than what keeps a ghost alive. It is also where their powers are stored, for each and every ghost contains a different elemental or non elemental power. No two cores are the same, yet they can still overshadow each other but not without consequences.
And your core was exposed to them to take, though you couldn’t let that happen. You couldn’t let them take the one thing that could also be what would be keeping you alive. Once the scalpel neared your core, it had started to freeze which caused Maddie to recoil her arm from the cold sensation.
She touched it…. How could she!? Only those who you gave access could touch your core and they were not one of them.
They never were
So you concentrated, if you could just use some of your powers to hit a cord or even the switch on the table, anything to free yourself. Then you heard it, a click and lights flashing. Feeling your powers return, you quickly launch an ecto beam towards the lights. Hearing screams as you head towards the door, to your freedom.
Then you remember the anti ghost machinery, quickly you hit a box on the wall outside the basement door. In turn everything within the home turns off allowing you to phase through the walls and outside.
Outside ….
Greeting you is the night sky, shining with various stars. Some glowing more bright than others. Welcoming you to a peaceful night before suddenly your train of thought is interrupted by the sound of a car starting. Turning you see, your parents Jack and Maddie getting into the GAV, the guns on top of the car aiming directly at you as they power on.
Without a second thought, you rush away from them. Avoiding the ecto gun blasts as best as you can, while trying to hold your chest. Your healing is slow from how much it has tried to heal you. Even so, the pain lingers and ectoplasm still oozes from you.
Now you remember where you are, still in Amity Park, floating above a park which is eerily silent. Other than the roaring engine of a car that is following and has only luckily hit you maybe one or twice since you fled. You’re still far from where you want to head but yet so close. Mustering up the little strength still left in your body, you turn intangible and pick your pace.
Maybe it's 10 or 20 minutes before you spot the looming mansion in the distance. Still hearing the GAV in the distance, you quickly turn before sending an ecto blast to swerve the vehicle away from your direction. You're lucky that your blast hits one of the tires, a screeching sound being heard, as the occupants try to stabilize the car to a halt.
You don’t look back to see if they are alright, not with your goal in sight. You let out a relieved sigh when there is no ghost barrier set up to prevent you from heading towards the mansion's door. You smile softly as the door nears, you’ll just phase through and yell for Vlad when you get inside. He’ll help you, you hope because even if you two are enemies. The elder has shown a couple times that he cares even if it’s small.
SLAM
You grunt at the force, thinking you would phase right through only to ram right into the door. Your back hitting the concrete floor, the pain you had earlier returning full force. Whimpering at the pain, you feel the adrenaline slowly fade from your body as you try so hard to stay conscious.
The last thing you hear before darkness takes you is the door opening and a worried
"Daniel!"
Before letting your eyes close to finally sleep